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MIRACLE ON 34TH ST.
New York Post ^ | November 28, 2005 | Arnold Ahlert

Posted on 11/28/2005 11:24:12 AM PST by Irontank

THIS year's Thanksgiving Day Parade brought us another "Miracle on 34th Street."

Tethers from the "M&M's Chocolate Candies" balloon became entangled with a lamppost along the parade route — causing a 30-pound light to strike two sisters from Albany, Sarah Chamberlain, 11, and Mary, 26. Sarah required nine stitches to close a head wound. Mary, who uses a wheelchair, got a bump on the head.

Then came the miracle: The girls' father, Stephen Chamberlain, noted that it was "a freak accident," said "accidents just happen" — and announced he had no intention of filing a lawsuit.

Instead, he accepted Macy's invitation to return next year and sit in the "VIP" bleachers near the Herald Square flagship store. "We're all planning on going down again," said Chamberlain. "I told the president of Macy's . . . that we're going to take him up on that."

In modern-day America, many would consider Chamberlain's behavior astonishing. With a "good" lawyer, he could have sued: Macy's, New York City, the lamppost manufacturer and the balloon maker. Even after his attorney took the customary 33 percent cut, Chamberlain would have gotten a ton of money.

Instead, he did the "unthinkable:" He acted like a reasonable human being.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: antitort; freakaccident; lawsuit; lawyers; macys; macysparade; parade; thanksgiving; tortlaw; tortreform
Having benefitted from this "Miracle on 34th Street"...maybe Macy's will now let their employees wish customers a "Merry Christmas".
1 posted on 11/28/2005 11:24:14 AM PST by Irontank
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To: All

...and the money grubbing lawyers are disappointed and shocked.


2 posted on 11/28/2005 11:26:14 AM PST by excalibur1701
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To: Irontank

A miracle is right. Looks like there are some sane people left in this country.


3 posted on 11/28/2005 11:26:16 AM PST by TheSpottedOwl ("President Bush, start building that wall"!)
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To: Irontank
Good to hear.

The other revealing story from this incident was that NBC chose to air old footage and NOT broadcast this event at all during the parade.

4 posted on 11/28/2005 11:28:38 AM PST by pettifogger
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To: TheSpottedOwl

Both girls had minor injuries but he was well within his rights to sue in todays culture.

I think the idea of him and his family now being VIPS at the parade is a much better payoff myself. They will be treated like kings and welcome there for many many years to come.

What a great role model to his children.


5 posted on 11/28/2005 11:29:03 AM PST by alisasny
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To: Irontank

People like Mr. Chamberlain just make lawyers froth at the mouth, pull their hair out, scream...


6 posted on 11/28/2005 11:33:49 AM PST by Redbob
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To: Irontank

Compare this guy to the lady in an earlier thread that was going to sue Pizza Hut for a chili pepper being too hot.


7 posted on 11/28/2005 11:37:40 AM PST by loreldan (Lincoln, Reagan, & G. W. Bush - the cure for Democrat lunacy.)
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To: Irontank
The girls' father, Stephen Chamberlain, noted that it was "a freak accident," said "accidents just happen" — and announced he had no intention of filing a lawsuit. ----

****

A good man. A very good man.

8 posted on 11/28/2005 11:51:20 AM PST by beyond the sea (Murtha: Redeployment - What .......Surrender? // “Victory is not a strategy”)
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To: alisasny

He's a role model for all of us. Someone posted a story about a woman who is suing Pizza Hut. It seems that the stuffed jalapeno pepper she bit into was hot, and burned her chin.

His kids will be thrilled to be VIP's at next years parade : )


9 posted on 11/28/2005 12:02:41 PM PST by TheSpottedOwl ("President Bush, start building that wall"!)
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To: Irontank

I'm so shocked I think I'll sue.


10 posted on 11/28/2005 12:14:01 PM PST by Fester Chugabrew
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To: TheSpottedOwl

Hope that all of their travel and lodging is paid for too.


11 posted on 11/28/2005 12:44:41 PM PST by surrey
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To: Redbob

Not this lawyer - glad to see somebody willing to say, "Sh*t happens" and drive on.


12 posted on 11/28/2005 1:44:06 PM PST by jagusafr (The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not")
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To: alisasny

He is a great role model. However, when shopping with my teenage son at Macy's in September he was sexually harassed by two gay men working in the men's department. When he asked where the changing room was, they told him to take his clothes of there and then started giggling like school girls. I look over and see my son with his "kill 'em face" on and run over to see what's up...the sissy boys immediately told him where the dressing room is and turned beat red. When I found out what they did, I rounded the corner to chat with them about being perverts and the fat one waddled as fast as he could out of the area. The other one took the brunt of my wrath. So...I would not mind it if everyone sued Macy's.


13 posted on 11/28/2005 5:01:03 PM PST by Galveston Grl (Getting angry and abandoning power to the Democrats is not a choice.)
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To: Galveston Grl

That is one sick story. ARGHH...did you report this event?


14 posted on 11/28/2005 5:11:04 PM PST by alisasny (BYE B YE TOOKIE)
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To: alisasny

Yes, I reported it but I have my doubts that Macy's, which featured a cross dressing Mrs. Clause in their parade before, is going to care much. They responded as if they cared. But they get no more of our money and my son had to learn what a man is supposed to do when confronted by perverts...choose not kill them on the spot which is what he was contemplating when I ran over. I had no idea that would be his gut reaction because he is not a hot head. He felt threatened and disrespected.


15 posted on 11/28/2005 5:32:45 PM PST by Galveston Grl (Getting angry and abandoning power to the Democrats is not a choice.)
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