I have no sympathy for this scumbag

[dorbie 0]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/05/24/hancock.lawsuit.ap/

Ready to blame anyone and everyone except where it belongs, all for the almighty dollar.

The guys on the road who his drunken son smashed into are the victims in this, and how's a restaurant owner supposed to spot someone 2X the limit? He was an athlete, and it's not as if he was completely smashed.

[lawrocket 3]

Let's all make our suggestions at possible defendants in this legal game! I'll start:

- The person to whom he was speaking on the cell phone when he lost his head
- The cell phone company for allowing him to be distracted
- The car manufacturer for:
- not having a governor that would have prevented him from speeding;
- not having a safety switch that would make the vehicle inoperable with a loose seatbelt;
- not having reactive armor where the windshield is that would have stopped the flatbed from decapitating him;
- Missouri highway system for putting a road there;
- The police for not arresting him for DUI before he got in a crash
- dropzone.com for glorifying reckless behavior.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[dorbie 0]

- Every driver he passed on the road for not providing a safer target for a drunk to smash into.

[ryoder 1,402]

Quote

Authorities said the 29-year pitcher had a blood content of nearly twice the legal limit for alcohol in his system when he crashed into the back of the tow truck. He was also speeding, using a cell phone and wasn't wearing a seat belt, Police Chief Joe Mokwa said after the accident. Marijuana also was found in the SUV.

Sounds like someone went to a lot of trouble to ensure Darwin didn't miss.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 2,442]

> I have no sympathy for this scumbag

I do. I feel badly for anyone who loses their son, even if it was his son's fault. I wish he wasn't reacting like this, though, and I hope he comes to his senses soon.

[DJL 232]

Quote

> I have no sympathy for this scumbag

I do. I feel badly for anyone who loses their son, even if it was his son's fault. I wish he wasn't reacting like this, though, and I hope he comes to his senses soon.

I don't. I think he's profiteering off of his son's death. I guess his cut of Josh's $430,000 salary wasn't enough to keep him in the good so he's trying to get what he can. He forfeits his right to my sympathy.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[billvon 2,442]

>I think he's profiteering off of his son's death.

I think it's somewhat presumptuous to claim to know the state of mind of someone who has just lost their son, and assume that they are doing it for evil motives.

[DJL 232]

Quote

>I think he's profiteering off of his son's death.

I think it's somewhat presumptuous to claim to know the state of mind of someone who has just lost their son, and assume that they are doing it for evil motives.

I do presume. The devil's advocate is to say that he's letting a lawyer run the show...and that stinks.

Edit: After really thinking about empathy vs sympathy I realize the difference has nothing to do with this.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[FreeflyChile 0]

- The concrete manufacturers for making it so that the road is able to be built.
- The contractors that built the road so smoothly that the car was able to get up to the speed that killed him.
- The baseball team that paid him enough money for him to get enough drinks to get drunk enough to drive unsafely.
- The supplier of the bags which permitted him to contain marijuana.
- The owner of the bar which he was heading to for lack of forseeability - he should have known people would drive drunk trying to get there.

This is fun! can you tell i've had 2 days of Barbri torts lectures in preparation for the bar exam???

[lawrocket 3]

Barbri. Who are the lecturers. I dug David Epstein doing contracts (I want all of you to picture "David Epstein" in your mind - now, picture him with a southern drawl that would blush. It's hilarious - he was always using Sharon Stone as his hypothetical girlfriend in legal situations). And Professor Whitebread was a riot.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 2,442]

>I do presume. The devil's advocate is to say that he's letting a
>lawyer run the show...and that stinks.

This is an internet effect, I think. If an acquaintance of yours lost their daughter to an accident of this sort, and he was out of his mind with grief and decided to sue the bar owner, you wouldn't call him a scumbag, profiteer or any of the other names used here. I suspect you would be far more human towards him - but humanity is often absent on internet boards.

[dorbie 0]

Quote

>I do presume. The devil's advocate is to say that he's letting a
>lawyer run the show...and that stinks.

This is an internet effect, I think. If an acquaintance of yours lost their daughter to an accident of this sort, and he was out of his mind with grief and decided to sue the bar owner, you wouldn't call him a scumbag, profiteer or any of the other names used here. I suspect you would be far more human towards him - but humanity is often absent on internet boards.

No, the obnoxious modern phenomena is playing the legal blame game and trying to pin fault on people who are clearly innocent, even in the face of obviously culpable and atrocious conduct of the son.

Like I said, he's a scumbag and his grief does not justify this bullshit. I've grieved for relatives in the past and seen the families of close friends who've suffered loss under far worse circumstances than this conduct their affairs with impressive dignity.

This crap will go on as long as people excuse this kind of bullshit with the grief blanket. It's not OK and grief does not justify or excuse evil.

You, I or anyone we know might be the next victim of this kind of vile opportunism. It doesn't take the internet to see that clearly.

[SkyDekker 1,150]

Quote

It doesn't take the internet to see that clearly.

***

Sure it does....Bill is absolutely right. If this was somebody close, the reaction would be completely different.

Just compare the reactions to the recent suicide with the reactions in earlier suicide threads. World of difference.

[dorbie 0]

Quote

Quote

It doesn't take the internet to see that clearly.

Sure it does....

Nonsense. It's absolutely clear independent of any forum that everyone is a potential victim of this crap.

Go on tell me what about this forum makes it clearer to me that people I love could be the next victim of some self absorbed relative of a drunk who killed himself?

Quote

Bill is absolutely right. If this was somebody close, the reaction would be completely different.

Just compare the reactions to the recent suicide with the reactions in earlier suicide threads. World of difference.

If you're saying that being related makes one biased that doesn't say anything much, but I still disagree w.r.t. sue-happy associates, I would not approve of this is if was a relative or friend. I have one particular experience which informs that opinion.

If you caught some guy in your home climbing out the window with your VCR, I doubt you'd have much sympathy if he used his son's corpse as an excuse, (I wouldn't). This asshole's crime is much more massive and more serious IMHO, that he uses a lawyer in a suit instead of a crowbar is only an additional affront.

[billvon 2,442]

>Like I said, he's a scumbag . . .

I am sure you are a better person than that.

A while back, an old friend of mine sued a manufacturer because the rig her husband was jumping had a poorly set grommet, and he died when he had a horseshoe. No one called her a scumbag, although a great many people tried to talk her out of it. I am sure that had you been there, you would not have walked up to her and called her an evil, vile scumbag. You would have supported her (as we did) and tried to talk her out of it (as we did.)

[dorbie 0]

You are correct, but I see that as subtly different in that I assume the grommet contributed to the incident (closing loop grommet line snag?). If I couldn't dissuade her I would certainly have had nothing more to do with her. If she'd turned around and sued the pilot, the DZO, the rigger and everyone on the 4-way your attitude might have been different.

If she'd sued you and Amy and tried to take away the financial stability you'd worked your lives to build for your family because you were standing around on the DZO that day, or maybe because Amy's resuscitation failed (assuming good Samaritan laws didn't shield) again your attitude would be different.

These lawsuits are not victimless and the litigious are not always (almost never) the victims they paint themselves to be.

I would have had considerable sympathy for this guy over his loss, now I have none, he's traded that for an opportunistic suit that will make innocent bystanders suffer.

P.S. and I believe he knows this.

[RBM 1]

After reading the link and this thread, I really agree with Dorbie. mind you, I totally agree that the loss of his son is not to be taken lightly, no one wants a loved one lost, but I agree with Dorbie,, it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck!!

Opportunistic Suit.....

[skymedic 0]

http://media.myfoxstl.com/media/articles/hancock_lawsuit.pdf

Here's a copy of the actual lawsuit. Lawrocket can you give us any further insight? I just can't believe they are sueing the poor guy who's car was involved in the initial accident just prior, and also the tow truck driver who was sitting in that exact spot so the dude in the geo didn't get killed by a drunk. THAT guy is a hero here.

Now as far as hancocks family...This is kind of a hot button issue around here in St.Louis. Most people I know were quick to make sure he is not being glorified the way DK was in 2002 when he died in the hotel in chicago.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[wmw999 2,155]

One of the stages of grief is an unreasoning anger. That, combined with a spectacular news story can lead to legal involvement, which simply exacerbates the unreasoning anger.

If his son weren't a major league pitcher, his friends would have probably told him he was being an idiot. Instead, his lawyer is saying "yeah, go for it." He doesn't understand yet that "making someone pay" won't make the hurt go away.

I feel sorry for all of them but the lawyer.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[likearock 1]

Quote

>I think he's profiteering off of his son's death.

I think it's somewhat presumptuous to claim to know the state of mind of someone who has just lost their son, and assume that they are doing it for evil motives.

It doesn't give him carte blanche to disregard the obvious and complete responsibility his son had for his own death. Drunk, on a cell phone, speeding. It was a miracle he didn't kill anyone else.

The father has forfeited his right to sympathy with actions like this.

[FreeflyChile 0]

So far, I've only had torts (Equity is today) and the lecturer is Conviser (i think that's his name).

pretty good lecturer, sounds a lot like dan rather actually. alright...off to that i go!

[Thanatos340 1]

As for adding all those others, Sounds like typical Lawyer crap.

Sue any and everyone you can think of, Most will settle because it is cheaper than fighting it. Any money that does change hands will just end up in the Lawyers pockets anyway.

[NCclimber 0]

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>Like I said, he's a scumbag . . .

I am sure you are a better person than that.

A while back, an old friend of mine sued a manufacturer because the rig her husband was jumping had a poorly set grommet, and he died when he had a horseshoe. No one called her a scumbag, although a great many people tried to talk her out of it. I am sure that had you been there, you would not have walked up to her and called her an evil, vile scumbag. You would have supported her (as we did) and tried to talk her out of it (as we did.)

This example and the one in the OP are two completely different situations. Miles apart.

Do you think everyone would have been just as supportive if her husband jumped drunk and high, while foregoing all safety checks.. basically an accident waiting to happen.. and she decided to sue everyone who might have had a chance to stop him?

[Richards 0]

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Sounds like someone went to a lot of trouble to ensure Darwin didn't miss.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[James.UWE 0]

Only in America.