This year's favorite Stella Award could easily be Mr. Merv Grazinski
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new
32- foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having driven
onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly
left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup
of coffee.

Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's
manual that he couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded him
$1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed
their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any
other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.

if you saw the kumars at no 42 last night, the brain joke could be adapted for the americans....

we did a lot of work for "Lear" , they make posh Jag seats, all the design had to change after a court case in America where a child sat in the rear got its foot stuck in-between the back and base of the seat, well not stuck, but had it there whilst involved in an accident then got stuck, it cost god knows how much to change as we had to mod all our machines to suit too........

oh, had the child had the seat belt on they could'nt have had there feet there ??

is it law to wear seat belts in the rear in the states ?

It sounds like Homer Simpson time again. On the do not drink label fitted to bleach bottles "See, because of me they've put a warning on it".

They should lock these people up for their own safety, not encourage them. I got a chainsaw the other day and it doesn't say not to lick it whilst in motion, How much should that be worth?
Jackass T.V. should hire this bloke to do their scripts, Pylon abseiling anybody.

yours, Pete

first time I went to the usa i was amazed to see that the beer bottles had a warning on them that you should not drive or operate machinery after drinking beer.

I like america, and americans as I would anyone else, but they have some strage gaps in their logic.

madonna apparently once said "even the most stupid englishman is more intelligent than the average american".

atb


Steve


ps - madonna said that not me, just in case your american!

If you look at the side of a Ruger revolver it has a fairly long paragraph stamped on it. This explains that firearms are dangerous and can kill if used carelessly. Oh, really?

There is an excellent principle in English law called "duty of care" that sadly seems in danger of disappearing. This states that a person has a duty to themselves to consider what they're about to do and act according to any dangers, risks, etc. If you do something that an ordinary person would consider risky then you have very little hope of success in law.

So, if you engage cruise control and go and make a cup of tea then the courts will call you an absolute pillock and you won't make a penny. On the other hand, if you put your foot on the brakes and the 'emergency brake assist' comes on and you crash (see Mercedes) then you have every right to sue.

David

Sorry chaps - just looked up the 'official' Stella site and this story is a total fabrication - an urban myth.

The interesting thing on that site is the detail about 'Stella' herself (who sued 'for being scalded by a coffee while driving'). Worth a look, just to see the 'facts' about the case!

http://www.stellaawards.com/

Don't worry about subscribing, just go the links at the bottom of the page.

rgds,

David (a.k.a. Killjoy)

When my brother first moved to the States about 5 years ago, he was asked where he learned to speak English-

THREE TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!

And they Saddam's a danger to the civilised world

ATB

Simon

Although, in fairness, the pack of Sainsbury's salted peanuts I am eating does say"Warning may contain nuts" on it!!!

it bloody well better!

Cheers

Chris