Family sues Paramount's Kings Island after guest struck by lightning in parking lot

Geez, just when you have heard it all. Sadly there are scum aka so-called lawyers that are just as sleazy as the nuts who hire them.

I think they should sue the woman who spilled McDonald's coffee on her lap years back. She is one who started the frivilous lawsuit thing right? lol. It all went downhill from there.

-Tina

<--------is going to SUE the last park I was at for my coaster bruises and sunburn. LOL!

------------------
Feel The DragsterGasm....
www.intenserides.com

You said it. That McDonalds law suit was one of the most bogus law suits in history. What freaking idiot would not know coffee is hot? Especially since the dumb*** was trying to drive a car and handle coffee at the same time. A pure idiot.

I sure that same woman would have been complaining if the coffee was NOT hot. Anyway, in my opinion, the settlement that that woman got amounted to nothing more than fraud and theft. And if you steal, you eventually pay for it one way or another. So she got a lot of money, when its her time to pay, she has got a lot of payback coming.

Im off my soapbox now, but this is a very sore subject with me. Its one reason EVERYTHING costs so much these days. I call law suits like these "white trash lottery". And when they win money like this, its US who pay through future price increases.

I think we should swamp this lawyer's phone lines giving him our opinions. He's wasting PKI's time so he deserves the same.

it's sort of like sueing for getting stung by a bee

------------------

Colossus [1]
Nemesis: Inferno [6]

I feel bad about the accident but what stupidity.

I am willing to bet, the reason why they were heading to the car was to leave, because of the storm. How would you not know a storm was comming. If it was predictable it couldn't have been moving extremely fast so everyone in the park should have been able to feel the winds pick up, feel the rain falling on them, hear the thunder in the distance and seek the appropriate shelter.

and let me go even further to say that that was probably not the only bolt of lightning produced by the storm, meaning they probably saw more than just the single hit.

Jeff said,

---

Saw this great demonstration at Boston's science museum where they had a lightning generator. The operator was in a bird cage in the middle, and he touched the inside of it as it was struck repeatedly by electrical blasts. Pretty neat to see.

---

Spot on Jeff. It's called the "Cage Effect". Repelling forces of polarity cause the current to skin around the outside of a metal cage seeking the path of least resistance to the ground.

For those who haven't read the article the laywer contends that the park should have informed people not to go to their cars. But people should go to their cars in a lightning storm becuase it's the safest place you can be.

------------------
Kevin Stone
NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulator
http://www.nolimitscoaster.de

I think it's funny he uses a movie theater not warning of an impending tornado as a standard for judgement.

Last I checked, movie theaters were indoors without windows, so you can't see what the weather outside is looking like. Movie theater patrons would have no idea of a tornado warning unless notified. Amusement parks, though, are outdoor venues. Anyone who doesn't understand what a dark sky and loud booms are, may have already been brain damaged before hand.

Well I agree with pretty much everything else that has been mentioned, but I wanted to add a discussion which the lawyer claims is the basis for the suit...The park has a "duty of ordinary care".

Are there any lawyers out there who can provide a definition of what this means...because IMO, there is nothing ordinary about being struck by lightning.

Just another fine example of people not taking responsibility for their own actions.

Sean
------------------
"Ever hear of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates...Morons!"

Hmmmm.... darkening skies (in the day time at least), rumbling thunder, distant flashes of lightning... those are all the warnings I need for me to say "Oh, there might be a storm heading this way..."

------------------
Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"

For God's sake, (no pun intended) since when were people so freakin' dumb that they need a corporate entity to point out what a storm cloud looks like?

Darwin in action.

------------------
Come on, fhqwgads!

This just kills me. How is safety not common sense? Does anyone run around sticking their keys in electrical outlets then suing the building? "They didn't warn me that the outlet was working." Seriously people. Its a shame that dude got struck by lightning, but how can one seriously be convinced that it is the parks fault. I wonder if the people went to the attourney or if the attourney came to them. When i was at PKI last year, two storms rolled through. I saw both of them very clearly and all the rides got shut down. I was waitng in line for Beast both times and the ride-ops were very clear and to the point about what was going on.

Even worse, because these people felt they were improperly taken care of, we are all going to feel the wrath of this. I can't wait to see the extreme emergency precautions the park(s) will begin to take it this goes through in favor of the Perkins family.

I have two words for the person/people who filed this lawsuit. Dumb a**. Lets say you are crossing the street and get hit by lightning. Do you then sue IDOT for not warning you. It's not like the person didn't know. When there is a storm you can see it. As my english teacher always say, some people are just too stupid to live.

Interesting thing for a teacher to say.

At least it wasn't worse.

"I believe that by riding King's Island's high-speed thrill ride, Xtreme Skyflyer, my client experienced rapid movement through the air, statically charging his skin and clothes. It was this additional charge that eventually caused my client to be struck by lightning. Park goers already pay an exorbitant ticket price to enter the park, and I believe they should be kept safe from such additional charges, pursuant to existing case law."

I don't understand why standing beneath the park's enormous weenie/eiffel tower/lightning rod is safer than going to a car that's mostly plastic anyway.

------------------
--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?

"some people are just too stupid to live."

I think that goes more for the Laywer, right? Getting struck by lightning is the result of being unlucky not of being stupid.

It's very important that you understand that the family may not have had any intention of taking this to court. What these crackpot laywers do is seek out individuals like this, take advantage of their emotional states, and convince them that they can get compensation to help with medical expenses and what not.

You're outside, you're not blind, you can see, hear and feel the effects of the weather around you. Your actions are your own. The policy of "ordinary care" does not apply.

------------------
Kevin Stone
NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulator
http://www.nolimitscoaster.de

What a pathetic lawsuit. I feel sorry for the Family involved but the park has no control over the weather and surely its quite clear to everyone when a storm is happening, you simply look up in the sky and listern for the thunder and lightning. Also surely its public knowledge to everyone that when there is an electrical storm, you dont go back to your car(Plan and Simple) as this kind of thing can happen.

---

For those who haven't read the article the laywer contends that the park should have informed people not to go to their cars. But people should go to their cars in a lightning storm becuase it's the safest place you can be.

---

It would be OK to take shelter in your car in a lightning storm, but I would never suggest it in an electrical storm. Cars are made of Metal and they can be prone to lightning strikes. Best thing to do if you are at an amusement park and there is a lightning/electrical storm on the way is to quickly take shelter in a shop or restaurant as its quick,easy and safer, I would never go back to my car in an electrical storm

Is it just me, or do you expect someone with the name "Drake" to do something like this. His mom must have loved soap operas.

------------------
Goccvp1

Scooby Doo and The Haunted Castle...MUCH more fun when you have ride partners!!!

Don't forget the judges here. It is the responsibility of judges to dismiss frivolous lawsuits like this one. Remember this at election time!

I think that lawyers should be banned form having TV commercials too. Every time I turn on the TV, there is some bloodsucker begging me to sue somebody.

------------------
Lets go Drag racing.

Paul, Your car is the safest place to be in an electrical storm. The metal conducts the electricity around you. Selters are not always safe. People in pavilions have been killed by lightning strikes.

------------------
Lets go Drag racing.

It's ridulous crap like this that causes my Parents Liability insurance for their business to keep on going up and up by leaps and bounds every year.

Something needs to be done to stop such ridulous law suits from ever being filed in the first place.

------------------
UnfrigginbelievablyIncredible*** This post was edited by MagnumForce 6/18/2003 4:10:39 PM ***