So Sue Me

It is clear that American culture has
become so litigious that our court system and the medical profession
are in
danger of paralysis due to superfluous lawsuits. For a reminder that
things do not necessarily have to be this way look no further than our
ally in the war on terror, Poland. In the US our friend Pawel would already
be shopping for a house in Bel Air.

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s state railway PKP is claiming
compensation from a man who caused delays to its services by being run
over by a
train — but said it may forgive the debt after learning the man’s
house had burned down.

"We are acting in accordance with article 415 of the Civil Code,
seeking damages from a person who caused delays in rail traffic," PKP
spokesman Krzysztof Lancucki said on Monday.

He said 19-year-old Pawel Banaszek, who was paralyzed in the incident
in August 2003, caused 2,058 zlotys ($580) worth of losses due to delays.
Accounts of how Banaszek ended up lying on the tracks vary.

"We are the guardians of public property, not a charitable
institution, and we have an obligation to seek compensation in the name
of the taxpayers," Lancucki told Wyborcza.
"Mr. Banaszek could have turned to a court, but he didn’t. He would
lose, and the whole affair would cost (him) many times more."

from Reuters