Posted on 11/02/2005 7:54:36 PM PST by Clive
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Hardware retailer Home Depot has found itself in a sticky situation, defending a lawsuit filed by a man who said the chain's Louisville, Colo., store ignored his cries for help after he fell victim to a prank - and was glued to a toilet seat.
Bob Dougherty, 57, of Nederland, Colo., said he became stuck to a bathroom toilet seat on which somebody had smeared glue on Oct. 30, 2003 and felt "tremendous panic" when he realized he was stuck.
"They left me there, going through all that stress," Dougherty told the (Boulder) Daily Camera newspaper.
"They just let me rot."
His lawsuit, filed Friday said Dougherty was recovering from heart bypass surgery at the time and thought he was having a heart attack. A store employee who heard him calling for help informed the head clerk via radio but the head clerk "believed it to be a hoax," the lawsuit said.
Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said she could not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit said after about 15 minutes, store officials called for an ambulance. Paramedics unbolted the toilet seat and while wheeling a "frightened and humiliated" Dougherty out of the store, he passed out.
The lawsuit said the toilet seat separated from his skin, leaving abrasions.
"This is not Home Depot's fault," he said.
"But I am blaming them for letting me hang in there and just ignoring me."
Right on. I was there on Monday and I actually had to wait in line for the self-service checkout line because they didn't have enough personnel on hand to handle the number of customers who wanted to buy their merchandise. Unbelievable.
Right on!...now have the lawyers sue that moronic teenager!
Whoops!..no lawyer will take that case...not deep enough pockets!
Nah, they'll just have to install signs stating the obvious: DON'T SIT ON THE TOILET SEATS.
He wasn't just caught with his pants down... he was caught sitting down on a public-use toilet seat. The ick-o-meter is pegged out to the max. Sad, but this lesson should not have to be learned the hard way.
He probably didn't even wash his hands on the way out.
Geez. When are our poor, our lost, our boneheads, going to take responsibility for themselves? It is common knowledge that toilet seats are sometimes left in a manor that requires tiding up before placing your tender bottom in contact with said foreign substance.
GO TO JAIL, DO NOT COLECT $200.
Glad to see you acknowledge the ego problem.
LVM
Yeah, i know, and that may be the case here. After the fingertip-in-the-food deal, I wouldn't doubt ANYTHING anymore. LOL!
I figured out why this struck me like it did, though. My Dad is spending the night in the hospital; I watched him all day in a lot of pain, being poked and prodded by a doctor who kept saying, "Does this hurt?" Then I come here and read about some poor post-op old man being glued to a toilet seat.
He'll hit the lottery on this one - and rightfully so.
Are those toilets designed by the same folks who did the seats in the new Chrysler vans?
http://dictionary.law.com/definition2.asp?selected=1827&bold=%7C%7C%7C%7C
respondeat superior
(rehs-pond-dee-at superior) n. Latin for "let the master answer," a key doctrine in the law of agency, which provides that a principal (employer) is responsible for the actions of his/her/its agent (employee) in the "course of employment." Thus, an agent who signs an agreement to purchase goods for his employer in the name of the employer can create a binding contract between the seller and the employer. Another example: if a delivery truck driver negligently hits a child in the street, the company for which the driver works will be liable for the injuries.
I love you too, sweetums. I'm blowing kisses your way right now as I type.
Sorry for your Dad - Prayers up!
Hey, there! Long time, no see. Didja watch the Astros? They stunk big-time! Of course, I'm sure you were about to tell me that. ;-)
IMHO, just because he visited the store shouldn't be a concern in whether this is a legit case. I say this because I recently had some surgery, and after a few weeks of recovery, I couldn't wait to visit my local home center. It's my "happy place" and whether I'm buying anything or not, it's therapeutic for me when I visit there. Who can say if he wasn't just window-shopping (either figuratively or literally... ahr, ahr, ahr!!).
It may or may not be funny depending on whether this man is complicit in manufacturing the circumstances of this article. I find it difficult to believe I would not feel an adhesive when first sitting on it. Quick glues set too fast and tacky glues won't hold you down unless you sit without squirming (as in motionless) for a long time. This just seems suspicious. We live in age where people will risk a lot for a lottery settlement with a deep pockets company. I am not uncompassionate but I believe in people using common sense and taking responsibility for their own actions.
Well, the article does say they have a 'head' clerk...
Those of you here who hope this guy "sticks it to Home Depot big time", don't be complaining about the cost of wood, screws, and other trinkets, next time you pick them up at HD.
You who want to "stick it to Home Depot", should realize that all of us homeowners who shop at HD will be paying for any award for pain and suffering this guy gets, don't you know, not the suits in the home office ...
Look where it happened, Boulder. Too bad it wasn't Ward Churchill.
True enough.... The big box I used to work for would allow the senior citizens center nearby to bring their residents over before opening to window-shop and or walk around for exercise. So, your point is well taken.
I thought the "head clerk" had more.... Clintonesque duties. :)
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