Woman suing railroad
In a bid for the dumbest lawsuit ever, Patricia Frankhouser is suing Norfolk Southern Railway for not warning her that walking along a train track can be dangerous.
Frankhouser is suing the railroad, claiming that the railroad did nothing to alert pedestrians to coming trains. The crossing did not have a gate or warning signs. But, come one, it’s a train. It can’t really sneak up on you. Have you ever been near a train when it drives by? They’re incredibly loud. And, she was walking. I could understand if someone was in a car with their radio turned up.
The suit also claims that the engineer did not stop the train in a timely manner, nor did he yield the right of way to a pedestrian. Again, it’s a train. They can’t exactly stop on a dime.
Frankhouser is suing for $120,000 for her injuries; a broken finger, cuts, scraps, and pain in her hands, arms, and shoulder. All considered, that doesn’t sound too bad for getting hit by a train.
Edit
I read some more about this on OverLawyered.com and this was just too good to leave out. Turns out, Frankhouser was acquitted of charges of criminal trespass against the railroad for this event. Her lawyer, Harry F Smail Jr., deserves a mention for not only this case, but another case he is involved in. Looks like he may be praying on stupid people.