21-09-2003 23:25									#1
	Should I sue Reading? A moral dilema... Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I received an interesting letter yesterday, from Marcus Herbet at Environmental Health, Reading Borough Council, concerning 'Reporting of Injuries, Diseases abd Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1996'. When I was at Reading Festival this summer, some w***** landed on my head in the mosh pit and crushed me. Spent night in agony in casualty having x-rays cos they were worried about my back; nothing was broken, and I was discharged in the morning with plentiful supply of pain killers and muscle relaxants. Hurt for about 2-3 weeks afterwards, but now i just get occasional twinges.

I had more or less forgotten about it all, so the letter came as a bit of a surprise. They want me to fill out a form to confirm what happened etc...and its got me thinking. I know that if there are too many injuries then it will call into question how safe the whole thing is and whether regulations need to be tightened etc, which i dont want to happen cos it was a great weekend, and i dont blame my accident on the organisers!

However, having to fill in this paperwork has called the attention of the financially dependant little capitalist in me, and i'm thinking - could i make some kind of claim? I mean, there wasnt any long term loss of earnings or anything...but there was a fair amount of emotional 'trauma', as they say, which should be worth something.

So....what do you all reckon? Is it worth feeling guilty if i get them to give me some money??

Last edited by Verres on 21-09-2003 at 23:38

	21-09-2003 23:27									#2
	Remove this text

DL DANCE



Actually, this may not be a DL... the post is well thought-out, and of a medium length.

	21-09-2003 23:28									#3
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If you think you can live with being the person who caused Reading Festival to lose it's licence, go for it.

After all, who could possibly have predicted that in a moshpit you might get hurt?

	21-09-2003 23:30									#4
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Sue em for all they're worth!

And sky, he has 86 other posts.

	21-09-2003 23:32									#5
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oh, i am so glad i have your approval Can anyone actually give me some advice rather than condescending comments???????

	21-09-2003 23:32									#6
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quote: And sky, he has 86 other posts.

Sorry, I just looked at the "settler" and made the usual assumption

	21-09-2003 23:35									#7
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btw, he is a she (if that makes any sense whatsoever!)

	21-09-2003 23:35									#8
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EDIT: n/m

	21-09-2003 23:37									#9
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Point taken, Lazarus. This is why i mentioned it being a moral dilema...like i said, i wasnt that bothered and had forgotten all about it until they brought it up - so its not like i'm being indignant or anything. I just need money and this seems like too good an opportunity to miss.

	21-09-2003 23:39									#10
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Well there you go. Any money you get will just come out of the pockets of joe public in the end.

	21-09-2003 23:43									#11
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But i am Joe public! (or Josephine, anyway) I promise to pay it back when i'm rich and famous! (Famous for wrecking Reading festival and being killed by a load of die-hard music fans)

	21-09-2003 23:45									#12
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So this was a community festival type of event? Let's say you do sue, you get an award, the event's insurer pays out. You're all happy, you just cashed in, good for you. Now a precedent's been set, now somebody else who might've gotten hurt comes forward. Same as you, s/he wasn't permanently hurt, just a few days' pain. Another award. So on and so forth. The insurance company sees what's happening and realizes they'll have to cover themselves next time.

Fast-forward a year. Community wants to put on the festival again. They get their quote from the insurer for the liability insurance, and the premium's skyrocketed! Now the community can't afford to put on the event. The event's cancelled. Everyone's bummed. But, hey, you cashed in!

It'd be one thing if you'd been permanently injured or suffered some financial hardship, as you could build a solid economic claim out of either of those circumstances. But it sounds like neither is the case. Take some responsibility for your own life and don't ask the rest of society to pay you to make you feel better.

	21-09-2003 23:48									#13
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Okay, you're right. Sorry for wasting people's time. I'm on my way out to actually earn some money instead of scabbing off the rest of the world anyway.

	22-09-2003 03:01									#14
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You were at Reading Festival? So was I! Wow! Now only 15,999 other people to find.

Which mosh pit where you in? If it was Good Charlotte, you're a weak girly man. If it was some of the tougher bands, you're lucky to get out alive.

If it was the Smirnoff Dance tent, I exile you to the coldest reaches of the arctic north.

	22-09-2003 03:31									#15
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Sue my council! No you bastard, that's my frikkin council tax.

Starchild, it's more like 60,000 at Reading not 16.

	22-09-2003 03:31									#16
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Oh and I was there too but I'm too old and sensible to be crushed in a mosh pit these days.

	22-09-2003 03:37									#17
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Hmmm, I just get crushed, I don't go near mosh pits

Remember, where there's blame, there's a claim, you bastard

	22-09-2003 03:38									#18
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you get crushed in mosh pits quite often. hey i nearly died in a smashing pumpinks concert but was saved by the kickass professional intervention of the guys who worked the trences.

anyway i find it ethically despicable to sue a rock concert if you are not dead. but thats also because we're a bit rock deprived here

	22-09-2003 03:49									#19
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It's rather difficult to sue a rock concert if you are dead though

	22-09-2003 03:53									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Provost Harrison It's rather difficult to sue a rock concert if you are dead though

Did you think long and hard to say that Provost

	22-09-2003 04:04									#21
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Too right, these pearls of wisdom take a long time to compose, especially at this time of night

	22-09-2003 07:25									#22
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I doubt you'd get very much. The lawyers would probably cost more than you'd get.



Anyway, now that you've posted here that you'd just be doing it for the money, as soon as someone tried to sue the council, I'm sure several of our civic minded Apolytoners would inform the right people that you're a malingerer and cheat.

	22-09-2003 14:26									#23
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I know people that work at the council.

	22-09-2003 14:33									#24
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You're a bastard and should be shot for ****ing over Joe Public.

	22-09-2003 14:47									#25
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Given that there is a lot of local opposition where I live to the Leeds Carling Festival (twin event to Reading) I would say sue the nuts off them! If the organisers go bust there would be a big cheer in this neck of the woods. Just expect the lawyers to take most of the money.

	22-09-2003 14:49									#26
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Why should they scrap Reading because Leeds is ****?

	22-09-2003 15:00									#27
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Look, I love Reading festival and there is no way i want it closed but I NEED MONEY! I wish I could take the moral highground with the rest of you, but unfortunately I cant really afford to. (Plus, a few of you may wish to note that 'bastard' is generally used only for insulting males)

	22-09-2003 15:13									#28
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Well if you haven't got any money you probably can't afford to go through with sueing them anyway. Also not sure you'd get anything because all the anti-crowd surfing messages probably mean they are covered legally and you'd have to sue the person who landed on you. Unless you could find out that they had been surfing before they crushed you and weren't thrown out...

Sorry, I assume everyone here is a boy guess I should have checked your profile.

	22-09-2003 15:36									#29
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quote: (Plus, a few of you may wish to note that 'bastard' is generally used only for insulting males)

Ya bastard!

I would probably take the moral high-ground too, but only because it takes the least amount of effort.

	22-09-2003 17:05									#30
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Nothing like this ever happens at George Melly gigs.....

Oh, and for the record, even despite Mike's admission that he knows people at Reading council, I shan't hold it against them and will say that any legal action would just make you very unpopular and heavily endebted to your lawyers of choice. The chance of getting legal aid for these half-witted shenanigans is about the same as of your winning the case.