When you think of personal injury claims, both here in Maryland and throughout the country, car accidents might be the first thing that comes to mind. There\u2019s a good reason for this: auto accidents are the leading cause of personal injury claims in the United States, accounting for over 50% of cases. Slip-and-fall accidents and medical malpractice are also common claims, as are workplace accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exceptions to the Rule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn\u2019t mean there haven\u2019t been some highly unusual personal injury claims over the years, however. One of Maryland\u2019s most unique cases occurred back in 2008<\/a>. Kyle Coleman, then a 20-year-old volunteer assistant coach for a soccer team near Columbia, jumped up to grab the top crossbar of a goal while he was retrieving a ball from the back of the net. The goal wasn\u2019t secured, however, and Coleman fell onto his back, pulling the goal down on top of him. The crossbar smashed his face, causing injuries which required the insertion of titanium plates inside his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coleman sued the organization in charge of the practice, Soccer Association of Columbia, for damages. He was not awarded any compensation, however. Why not? Maryland is one of four states that adheres to the principle of contributory negligence, which dictates that you are not entitled to any compensation at all if you are found to be even 1% at fault in an accident. The jury in Coleman\u2019s case ruled that jumping up to grab the soccer goal crossbar rendered him partially at fault in his accident, which disqualified him from receiving any financial settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Unusual Cases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of Maryland, there are plenty of other out-of-the-ordinary personal injury lawsuits worth mentioning \u2013 some of which are groundbreaking. You may have heard of the \u201cMcDonald\u2019s coffee\u201d lawsuit, which occurred some 30 years ago. 79-year-old Stella Liebeck suffered third-degree burns when she spilled a to-go cup of McDonald\u2019s coffee on her lap while sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car. Liebeck originally tried to settle with McDonald\u2019s, asking them to pay her $20,000 to cover her medical expenses, but the fast-food chain refused, instead offering her $800. So she filed a claim \u2013 and was eventually rewarded close to $3 million. While many people at the time dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous, the fact remains that Liebeck sustained substantial injuries as a result of someone else\u2019s negligence (the coffee was determined to have been upwards of 180 degrees Fahrenheit \u2013 far too hot to safely drink).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, not every unusual lawsuit is successful. Take, for example, the case of Richard Overton vs. Anheuser Busch<\/a> in 1994. Overton, a resident of Michigan, sued the brewing company for misrepresenting Bud Light in their advertising \u201cas the source of fantasies coming to life… involving tropical settings, and beautiful women and men engaged in unrestricted merriment.\u201d Perhaps unsurprisingly, his personal injury suit, which claimed emotional distress, mental injury and financial loss, wasn\u2019t successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n