Rock-Pushing Video May Affect Injury Suit
A video of a Utah man pushing over an ancient rock formation may mean trouble for the man's recent personal injury lawsuit.
According to Salt Lake's KUTV, Glenn Taylor was leading a Boy Scout troop in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park earlier this month, when he was recorded toppling a large boulder in a video that later went viral.
Taylor had filed a lawsuit in September, claiming debilitating injuries to his back from a 2009 car crash. How could this rock-pushing video potentially affect his case?
Injury Suit for "Debilitating" Back Issues
KUTV reports that Taylor sued Alan MacDonald and his daughter for injures Taylor claims were caused by a 2009 collision caused by MacDonald's daughter.
Among the damages, Taylor claimed that he suffered disability and endured great pain and suffering as a result of the "debilitating" accident.
It was a surprise to MacDonald when he was served with the suit in September because, as KUTV reports, no one went to the hospital after the 2009 accident. You can imagine how MacDonald was even more bewildered when the video of Taylor toppling a large rock went viral.
You can see that video here:
Taylor now faces possible criminal charges from pushing the ancient rock, The Associated Press reports. But the video also seems to be fairly damning evidence of Taylor's health and mobility.
Using a Viral Video as Evidence
Mark Stubbs, Taylor's attorney, told KUTV that "the video may not play well to a jury" but it isn't the only piece of evidence. After all, Taylor could try to argue that his recent recovery from his 2009 injuries shouldn't make him ineligible for compensation for his past pain and medical expenses.
However, if Taylor is seeking to recover for future medical expenses, current pain and suffering, or continuing disability, this feat of strength in pushing over a boulder is not great for his case.
The Internet has ruined plaintiffs' cases like Taylor's before. A blogger from Gothamist was busted in 2011 for blogging about her belly dancing for three years, despite her disability claim.
Maybe Taylor can take a page from her playbook and call the boulder-toppling exercise a form of light physical therapy.
Related Resources:
- Glenn Taylor filmed pushing 2,000-pound rock one month after filing lawsuit saying he was disabled (New York Daily News)
- NYC 'Speed Racer' Arrested After Viral Video (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Sober Man's DUI Arrest Leads to $500K Claim (FindLaw's Injured)
- Woman Quits Job via Dance Video That Goes Viral (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
