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Trespasser sues Amtrak, says company should have protected him
In this age of the ever-increasing frivolity of lawsuits, it's kind of refreshing to see people that are trying to push the bar even further. (That last bit was sarcastic, in case you couldn't tell.) 25-year-old Brian Hopkins is suing Amtrak, saying the company should have more measures in place to protect trespassers on its own private property.
Two years ago, Mr. Hopkins was out for a long night of drinking and socializing. At about 2 a.m., telling friends that he "wanted to get back to New York," he proceeded to head to Boston South Station to try and break into an idle Amtrak Acela high-speed trainset. When that didn't work, he climbed on top of the train, grabbing an overhead electric wire in the process, and... I probably don't need to tell you what happened next. He suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body and ultimately had to have his left hand and leg amputated. According to the lawsuit, Amtrak "should have known that persons trespassed" in South Station and accordingly parked its trains somewhere else.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Baron Sep 10th 2008 10:10AM
That doesn't surprise me anymore after hearing of suits brought on by criminals that have gotten hurt breaking into peoples homes. Never mind that they where there to rob you, better hope they don't fall and hurt themselves on the floor or cut themselves on the window, etc. You are likely to get sued.
Mr. Whiteshoes Sep 10th 2008 3:15PM
Any judge that hears this case should be removed from the bench and any Lawyer that takes this case is bottom feeding scum.
This idiot should be in jail for trespassing not hopping into a courtroom. What's next, drunk drivers suing the families of the people they kill because they should have an "expectation of drunk drivers being on the road at a certain times of the night"? It makes me sick to think I just gave some low life an idea for another lawsuit.
There was a bill floating around a few years back that would hold lawyers accountable for frivolous lawsuits like these. I wish it would come back around and pass and we'd see our overworked judicial system suddenly freed up.