Glenn Taylor filmed pushing 2,000-pound rock one month after filing lawsuit saying he was disabled

[LiberalElite]

Source: NY Daily News

(Re: Goblin Valley, Utah)

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-pushes-2-000-pound-rock-month-filing-injury-suit-article-1.1490926


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-pushes-2-000-pound-rock-month-filing-injury-suit-article-1.1490926

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

1. I still say.....

.....that stone rolled in the wrong direction.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. +1

And, it was a real risk, too.

[Scairp]

23. Yeah it did

I have a BAD back, and I'm not sure I could have gone on such a hike on my best day, let alone help push an enormous boulder the way they did. If I had done it no doubt I would have been in bed the whole next day because I would have been crippled with pain. I always am if I overdo it. BTW, I am not suing anyone for anything regarding my back. This asshole gives everyone who really is disabled and needs help a very bad name. I hope they throw the book at him. And I think the guy he is suing should sue him back for something. I'm sure his lawyer can find a reason to file a counter suit.

[Tigress DEM]

30. The boulder was loose to his touch supposedly. No feat of strength. Gravity

But climbing up the mountain in the first place with a bad back. THAT is fishy.

[Bette Noir]

42. There's no mountain, and it's not a long hike.

You can park near the spot where the hoodoos are. It's an easy stroll to get right down in it.

It's not suspicious that he was there, but I'm for throwing the book at him, regarding his vandalism. "Take only pictures; leave only footprints."

[Tigress DEM]

47. Huge boulder balanced on a handful of sand.

It had been being eroded for 200 million years? Rock slides happen all the time.

[warrant46]

108. This Einstein could have had the boulder fall back on his sorry ass

Then he could sue the Federal Government for an unsafe tourist attraction.

[Tigress DEM]

116. Yeah that sand underneath was oddly distributed. Man was 50-50 candidate for a Darwin Award.

[quakerboy]

46. Have you watched the video?

He had to brace himself and make several attempts before he managed to shove it over.

Though I agree with you, sort of. Ive had back issues, fortunately not lasting long enough to leave me permanently disabled. They wouldn't have stopped me from using the brute force in my arms to do something like this after getting braced against another rock, but they sure would have prevented hiking out to the location, and they definitely wouldn't have allowed for sleeping in a camping situation.

[Tigress DEM]

63. Yes. He was lower at first and when he got up higher it didn't take huge effort.

Such a huge rock being balanced as it was could have stood several more years if no one happened to touch it and push it over, but rock slides are dangerous for just this reason, they aren't predictable.

I still think he was wrong to take it upon himself, but a report to rangers for the park probably would have gotten the area cordoned off as dangerous.

Yeah, someone said the hike wasn't much, but even with an air mattress I've had some awful nights camping it my back was acting up.

[Scairp]

102. I can walk

I could go on an easy hike and actually standing still in one spot for more than a short time is much worse for me than walking, but like you there is no way I could sleep on the ground and be ok. I went with a GS sleepover (inside), and I had to have an air mattress to sleep on. This guy is out camping and hiking and pushing boulders with his bad back he says has robbed him of a full life. He is nothing but a big, fat liar.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

59. Basic physics enables us to distinguish between inertia and gravity. nt

[fitman]

79. Karma here

Love it...jerk is getting his just desserts.

[kardonb]

91. stone

I'll say the only disabled part of him is his brain , it seems to have relocated in his gut .

[NV Whino]

2. This just gets better and better

Fucking assholes.

[7962]

3. I got lambasted for defending the "60 Minutes" story on disability fraud; glad you posted this.

I dont know why people who support the program aren't just as strongly in favor of weeding out fraudsters like this. They just burn money that should go to OTHERS with legitimate problems.
But point it out and you get accused of trying to shut down the program.

[840high]

29. This happens more

often than we want to admit.

[doc03]

31. I agree 1000%. I did the same but got flamed, according to many

here on DU there is no fraud. I gave examples of a couple but I was telling a lie, don't happen!
Those able bodied people claming disability hurt the people that actually need a disability and should be weeded out..

[Warren Stupidity]

36. Uh, this is a about a lawsuit, not ssdi.

Please carry on bashing actual disabled people.

[joshcryer]

39. So you're saying Glenn Taylor isn't disabled?

[Warren Stupidity]

97. I'm saying the article referenced did not discuss ssdi, it discussed a lawsuit filed by this creep.

But sure, if you wish to attack ssdi because there are in fact people who abuse the system, if you wish to take a welfare cadillac queen stance on a social program that supports millions of legitimately disabled people, go right ahead. How unsurprising.

[joshcryer]

111. You're the one talking about "actual disabilities."

I am not making a statement either way.

I think you project.

[7962]

50. "bashing actual disabled people"? Yeah, he looked it shoving that rock.

I know this case is insurance and not SSDI. And if you read my post I plainly fraudsters take money from those who are TRULY disabled. Whether its insurance fraud (which we all pay for) or SSDI fraud (which we all pay for) is immaterial. No where in ANY of my posts on this subject do I say disabled people don't need the financial help. If you think its fine to steal in either case, then your last name is appropriate.

[Warren Stupidity]

101. not him, the millions of other people on ssdi you have slandered.

But you knew that.

[7962]

112. You have trouble with words. Show me ONE comment where I've "slandered" the disabled? ONE.

I've NEVER said I was against the program OR the disabled people on it. I have a family member on it. Which is why I refuse to back down where it comes to fraud. You dont DOUBLE the number of people on SSDI over a few years and not have a lot of people screwing the system. There has been no magical event that disabled millions of people. Being jobless is not a disability. I want money spent on actual disabled people. To not enforce the system will simply break it quicker.
But to you, like some others here, any criticism of ANY program instantly means you're a big, bad, tea party voting, Ted Cruz lovin', fatcat.
At least most DUers know what I'm talking about.

[Warren Stupidity]

114. we are done.

I got lambasted for defending the "60 Minutes" story on disability fraud; glad you posted this.

I dont know why people who support the program aren't just as strongly in favor of weeding out fraudsters like this. They just burn money that should go to OTHERS with legitimate problems.
But point it out and you get accused of trying to shut down the program.

Have a nice day.

[7962]

115. Nothing in that comment slanders or in any way insults disabled people on disability. FAIL.

Of course you're "done".

[LaydeeBug]

45. The "60 Minutes" story on SSDI was truly flawed.

When you have lawyers making medical diagnosis' for people, you aren't being objective. Period.

PS. NOT on any of them, but I saw that, and it was pretty disconcerting because I found myself being pissed off at the people telling the story instead of the fraudsters themselves.

[HuckleB]

90. +1

[Sheldon Cooper]

66. You got lambasted because you saw a biased report claiming widespread fraud when

in reality the show featured ONE lawyer with questionable practices. There is nothing widespread about SSDI fraud, despite your oddly desperate efforts to show it. What dozens of people tried to explain to you, using their own personal experience, is that it is NOT easy to get approved for SSDI, but you chose to argue otherwise, based on one tv show. And that is why you had your ass handed to you.

[7962]

68. Getting approved is not the point. Yes, its tough for most to be approved.

But the fact that 60 Mins showed only one lawyer means thats the only one there is?? I dont base my argument on that show alone. If people here on DU cant admit that there is a good number of fraudsters hurting the program, fine. Whistle past the graveyard. I see it many times here; someone shows facts that others dont like so they attack the messenger. The explosion of disability claims itself is evidence that somethings amiss. What do you consider "widespread"? You think 1 million bad cases is OK? How many is OK? 500K? But I guess the excuse of "the economy is bad" covers it for many like you. Getting on disability because you cant find a job is FRAUD and takes more money out of the program that should go to truly disabled. And we all pay for it.

[Sheldon Cooper]

70. There is so much bullshit in your answer that I hardly know where to start.

The bottom line for me,and those like me, is that we are not alarmed if there is are occasional fraudulent claims. That is going to happen in ANY system where people apply for benefits. ANY SYSTEM. You can choose to get your knickers in a twist over all this "widespread fraud", I don't care. You remind me of the people who scrutinize the grocery carts of food stamp recipients, seething with indignation when someone buys a bottle of pop and some oreos. I worry about things that I consider to be far more important. I wonder why you are so fixated on this?

And for the record, I'm not on disability and never have been. But I've damn sure paid into it for the past 35 years. I hope I never need it but if I do, the last thing I'm going to worry about are nitpickers who know nothing about the system other than what they saw on tv, led by none other than Tom Coburn for chrissake.

[Gormy Cuss]

86. +1 n/t

[ctsnowman]

89. + 1000

[7962]

113. Nice to see you're probably just like your namesake; smart but little common sense

I never said there was widespread fraud. i merely asked what number is acceptable? Obviously no one would waste time and money to sniff out a few fraudsters, but when you have 8-9 million people on the program even 5% equals a LOT of stolen money. Money stolen from YOU and everybody else. And the more that get away with it, the more will try it. And the system can't handle an unlimited number of people. Anything I've said should insult no one but a cheater.
I am NOT against the SSDI system. I am NOT against the disabled people who are on it. I do NOT want to end it. I, like you, have paid in over 30 yrs and hope I dont need it either. That should be pretty clear.

[LanternWaste]

85. What then is that number, what is the number based on, what is being done to prevent it, and are tho

" If people here on DU cant admit that there is a good number of fraudsters hurting the program, fine. Whistle past the graveyard..."

What then is that number, what is the number based on, what is being done to prevent it, and are those preventive measure within the cost of return-on-investment... each and all seem like critically relevant, yet ignored numbers in your premise.

Possibly the critics of this story realize that one, or even ten individual cases are not a statistically sound sample on which to form a conlusion, regardless of what we may want to read into them.

And that's not "whistling past the graveyard" (the petulant trivialization of that phrase is quite clever and necessary, yes?), that's simply requesting relevant information from which to form a sound conclusion.

[jeff47]

81. You have an odd, and quite stupid, argument

In this post, you're claiming this guy shows massive fraud in SSDI. Yet in other replies you claim you realize it's an insurance claim and you weren't talking about SSDI.

As for burning money, do you think investigating SSDI claims is free? How much of SSDI's budget would you like to burn ensuring that there is absolutely zero fraud? Isn't it better to pay 1 fraudulent claim so that you can afford 10 legitimate claims, instead of burning the funding for those 10 claims finding the fraud?

[Stainless]

4. Disabled my Ass

He's a fat lazy fraud and he should be incarcerated

[dorkzilla]

5. Karma. Ain't it a bitch. n/t

[yuiyoshida]

17. Plus 100

[Lugnut]

51. + infinity! n/t

[JCMach1]

6. Dude, MEET KARMA!

[Half-Century Man]

7. Okay, He can go to prison for a longer stretch.

Insurance fraud, Attempting to defraud the SSA, Defacing geological wonder at a National Park, Felony asshole

[gopiscrap]

35. yup

[hog]

9. Boy Scout leadership at its best.

[Gore1FL]

32. Your ignorance is showing.

This is so counter to BSA policies, that it isn't funny.

You may not like the BSA. Certainly the BSA has ample space for criticism. You don't have to make things up about the BSA.

If you insist on being wrong, endeavor to be less loud and strident while doing so.

[pitbullgirl1965]

48. Agree ^^^ This is the LAST thing they'd condone

They are good stewards of the land. I have a great deal of respect for them with that.

[regnaD kciN]

58. Or, at least, they USED to be…

…before they became a wholly-owned LDS subsidiary.

[Gore1FL]

74. I agree about the LDS subsidy and the harm it has done to the orgaanization

This was not an organization problem with the Boy Scouts. BSA are still good steward of the environment. This is an issue with individual assholes who ignored leave no trace policies.

There are plenty of things wrong with some BSA policies. This is not an example of that.

[RitchieRich]

65. take only memories, leave only footprints

In my troop, respecting the site was central.

[Gore1FL]

76. Exactly!

These guys are not representative of the norm.

[muriel_volestrangler]

57. They didn't mention the BSA

But the man is a Boy Scout leader, as is another who was there. Therefore to talk about Boy Scout leadership in this thread is not 'ignorance'. It's not 'wrong'. It wasn't 'strident'. They didn't 'make things up'. You, however, did make things up in your post - about what they had written.

[Gore1FL]

71. "Boy Scout Leadership" was in the title of the post I responded to. You might want to re read it.

Yes they were Boy Scout leaders. That is not in question. BSA policies had nothing to do with this.

It was wrong. It was strident. It was inaccurate.

There are plenty of things to criticize the BSA about. This is not one of them.

[muriel_volestrangler]

73. It says "Boy Scout leadership"; the article says they are "Boy Scout leaders"

so what they do is 'Boy Scout leadership'. You have capitalised 'Leadership', incorrectly (so, yes, it's you who needs to re-read it), and then, in your mind, thought that meant the Boy Scout Association. You're wrong. They said nothing about "BSA policies". That's another thing you've made up. You have leapt to the defence of the BSA, for no reason at all. You are accusing the DUer of something they didn't say.

[Gore1FL]

75. The Boy Scout connection has zero to do with this damage.

It's not "Boy Scout Leadership" that lead to this destruction. It was assholes who happened to be Boy Scout leaders who perpetrated it.

This is contrary to BSA "leave no trace" policies. It's not a representation of "Boy Scout Leadership" as the wrong, loud, and strident, post implied.

[muriel_volestrangler]

77. You're the one capitalising it; You're the one imagining it is 'strident' and 'loud'

You are wrong. You are falsely accusing a DUer of talking about the BSA. It doesn't say "the Boy Scout leadership", "the Boy Scout Leadership", "the BSA" or anything else you, in your desperation to defend the BSA from an attack no-one has made, are hallucinating.

'This is contrary to BSA "leave no trace" policies'; well, yes, that was rather the point of the post you are attacking, and totally misrepresenting. It wasn't 'strident', 'loud', or 'wrong'; it was sarcastic. It was pointing out this is not what you hope or expect of Boy Scout leaders.

Did you fail your 'sarcasm detection' badge?

[Gore1FL]

80. OK...

The BSA has nothing to do with "Boy Scout Leadership." The poster obviously had no intent on trying to imply that despite rules to the contrary that this was "boy scout leadership at it's best."

Yep. How could I have ever been so wrong as to think when he mentioned "boy scout leadership" that he actually meant "boy scout leadership?" My goodness, how could I be so absurdly mistaken....?


I am not sure which of these emoticons work best. I'll let you decide.

[muriel_volestrangler]

87. Again, you are capitalising a word they did not use a capital for

You agree these people are both 'Boy Scout leaders' - the phrase used in the article. That does not make them the BSA. It seems incredible I have to point out something so obvious to you, especially when you yourself have called them 'Boy Scout leaders' (in #75). The word for what 'leaders' are meant to exhibit is 'leadership'. This is simple English (as, for that matter, is using "its" correctly - something else the other DUer managed, but you have not, when trying to quote them. Can I suggest that you copy what they write in future, when trying to criticise it?) 'Boy Scout leadership' does not mean "the Boy Scout Association".

I really don't know how you can be so absurdly mistaken. The sad thing is you can't see that you are; you just think you're now using sarcasm. But you have been very mistaken, so you're not in a position to use sarcasm.

[Gore1FL]

92. So now you are picking on typos?

its = genative.
it's = it is.

I am sorry I messed that up. But since we are picking nits, BSA = Boy Scouts of America. Your mistake was as trivial as mine. but because you have been reduced to using that as a centerpiece of your argument, I thought I'd mention it.

"Boy Scout leadership" implies leadership practices espoused by the Boy Scouts. Such an implication cannot be farther from the truth. It is an example of criticizing the organization falsely.

There are plenty of grounds to criticize the Boy Scouts of America. This isn't one of them.


Again, You decide:

[muriel_volestrangler]

94. Again, you don't understand sarcasm

Go back and read the thing again. It was neither actually saying the BSA approves of this kind of thing, nor was it saying that this was literally 'leadership at its best'. It's sarcasm. Yet you think it's 'strident' and 'loud'. How would you type it in a way that was less 'strident' or 'loud'? You think it shows 'ignorance'. No, what it shows is that you are unable to notice sarcasm.

What we have found out is you have a fanatical need to defend the Boy Scouts of America when no-one has attacked them. It seems you think everything is about an organisation, rather than people.

[Gore1FL]

95. The entirety of the Thread said "Boy Scout leadership at its best."

What influence did the organization "Boy Scouts of America" have to do with this event? Nothing.

Would it be OK is I said "Latter Day Saint's values at their best?" Would it be OK if I said "Christian values at their best?" How about if I said "White Leadership at it's best?" Of course those would be stupid associations to make. Doing so are examples of wrong, loud, and a strident things to say.

But hey, if it makes you happy to accuse me of things because you believe your interpretation of a six word sentence is better than mine, then you have fun criticizing my grammar and calling me a "fanatic." We all know those are simply awesome approaches when arguing.

In the mean time, pick one:

[muriel_volestrangler]

100. They are Boy Scout leaders, for fuck's sake

If they were described as 'team leaders', yes, it would be fine to say 'team leadership at its best'. If they were called 'political leaders', you'd say 'political leadership at its best'. Scouts do lots of outdoor activities, like hiking in parks, and these people are meant to be responsible examples of them.

"What influence did the organization "Boy Scouts of America" have to do with this event? Nothing. "

Yes, that's my whole fucking point. You were the one who brought them up. It's about the BOYS SCOUT LEADERS.

For you? I pick Because you are behaving like a clown in this idiotic sub-thread. You can't justify the ridiculous 'loud' and 'strident' accusations. You keep making them, EVEN THOUGH IT'S PLAIN TO THE WHOLE WORLD THERE WAS NOTHING LOUD OR STRIDENT. IS THAT LOUD ENOUGH FOR YOU?

You decided to attack a new DUer for no reason at all, apparently because you care about the BSA more than DUers.

[Gore1FL]

104. The are white and Mormon too. None of these factors have anything to do with their actions

I didn't attack a new Duer. I pointed out the ignorance of the post. If you believe it is an attack, they you should alert on it.

The all caps is really pushing your point across, however.

The very fact that the original post read "Boy Scout leadership at its best." and your first response to me was "They didn't mention the BSA" pretty much set you up for being wrong this whole time.

If you would like to continue this pissing match further, feel free. I find your ability to take further and further untenable positions to be amusing.

You pick:




Edited to Add:
The aren't Boy Scouts any more.
http://blog.utahscouts.org/news/boy-scouts-of-america-utah-national-parks-council-statement-on-goblin-valley-incident/

Edited again to add what the BSA actually teaches:
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/boyscouts/teachingleavenotrace.aspx

[muriel_volestrangler]

105. You accused them of ignorance, of making things up about the BSA, and of being loud and strident

for one sentence that was obviously, to anyone with a nominal understanding of the English language, sarcasm. Your knee jerk "they are attacking my beloved BSA" posts show you have an interest only in defending an organisation on behalf of which you seem to feel paranoid. You make DU suck.

I don't think a single one of your posts on DU will ever be worth reading again.

[Gore1FL]

106. I stand by what I said

I've backed it up. You simply make accusations. I never said "they are attacking my beloved BSA." That is a misquote on your part. What I said was "There are plenty of things to criticize the BSA about. This is not one of them."

Perhaps if you read for understanding and tried to insult fellow DUer's less, you'd be less inclined to fly off the handle. It might be a hypothesis worth testing.

Your pick:



Feel free to put me on ignore. It will save me time in having to reply to your misguided and accusatory posts.

[Sheldon Cooper]

67. Strident? Loud?

You call this 'loud and strident'?

Boy Scout leadership at its best.

Setting a pretty low bar, aren't you?

[Gore1FL]

72. It wasn't Boy Scout leadership at it's best.

BSA policies had nothing to do with this. In fact they violated numerous BSA policies.

Don't blame the BSA for these guys. In doing so, thew poster I was responding to was making a loud and strident mistake. There are legitimate reasons to criticize the BSA. The poster doesn't need to make things up.

[Sheldon Cooper]

82. My point was that there was nothing the least bit loud or strident in that post.

Nothing at all.

[Gore1FL]

96. It unnecessarily attacked the BSA through association. It did so in the title. It was obnoxious

that made it wrong, loud, and strident in my book.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. Did he pray? If so, maybe it's a miracle.

Or maybe he did prey.

[Shrike47]

11. The insurance company's attorney for Mr. McDonald is doing his happy dance.

We used to laugh at work over the impressive number of people who did incredibly stupid things right before trials. It would look like it was going to be hard, then they would assault a cop or get have their home catch fire due to meth manufacturing in the bathroom. Sweet!

[johnsolaris]

12. Been there !

Hi,
I have traveled to Goblin Valley a couple of times & it is a great place to wander around in & do some great photography. The movie "Galaxy Quest" filmed there as the site of the alien planet the crew landed on to find a Brillian Sphere . I saw that movie & decided to see the place. It is a couple hours Northwest of Moab, Utah, site of Arches National Park & other wonderful things from Rock Climbing & many other activities.

The Idiots that pushed over the rock will hopefully be put in Jail for a long time. I do not have any sympathy for anyone that goes to a State or National park & destroys the beauty in anyway.

[bananas]

60. Galaxy Quest - was that the scene with the rock monster and teleporter?

Great movie!

[Submariner]

13. Get a heavy-lift helicopter and crew to lift and place the rock

back in it's original position, and send this sad ass excuse for a human being the $100K to $200K bill payable immediately.

[Scootaloo]

21. Not really possible

The rock formation was created by erosion, water scouring away the packed dirt beneath the rock until it was im that "pillar." Rolling it would have done some serious damage to the base it was on, and so it really CAN'T be put back.

It's no big deal in the long run - erosion would have toppled the boulder if these yahoos didn't But, in situ, that could have been a hundred years or more. So it's no excuse for their vandalism.

[TalkingDog]

14. aka Dickweed Comeuppance

Instant Karma

Paybacks a bitch

Etc.

[City Lights]

15. Great values ya got there, Mr. Boy Scout Leader.

Ugh. What a disgusting cretin.

[TygrBright]

16. Who is Glenn Taylor and why should I give a rat's patootie? n/t

[NYC_SKP]

18. Glenn Taylor is a Scout Leader who desecrated a national monument...

...and had the absence of clarity to record it on video and post it on Facebook.

I'm so sorry to be the bearer of this but it needs to be seen.

[TygrBright]

22. Oh. Once again, the Clue Phone rings, this time for "Glenn."

"It's for you! Sez the name is Carmen or something."

wearily,
Bright

[maxsolomon]

98. State Park, actually.

But I'd support putting Goblin Valley and the nearby San Rafael Swell slot canyons into a National Monument or Park.

Then again, I'd rather there weren't more idiots there and that would bring more attention.

[NealK]

109. That dumbass looks so proud of himself.

[LiberalElite]

27. I didn't know his name either - but

that's why I put (re: Goblin Valley Utah) in the post.

[Quixote1818]

19. Pushing over that rock really rocked his world

[dorkzilla]

20. He destroyed an ancient rock formation, but at least he's not gay!!

Seriously, fuck the Scouts. This fat-world-wonder-destroying-bastard is a better alternative to--GASP-- a homosexual??

I need a bigger rock to hide under.

[Zorro]

24. Looks like he ate a few of those rocks

[Ms. Toad]

25. No excuse for what he/they did -

BUT - depending on what the claim of disability was, pushing that rock over does not necessarily disprove it.

And, as someone in constant low level pain from a back injury 30 years ago, who has just spent 11 months battling vertigo caused in part by that back injury, I can tell you that (1) I could have pushed the rock over and (2) not all disabling back injuries impact strength or flexibility or whatever other preconceived notion you may have of what a back injury looks like.

My pain varies from a 1 to a 6 or 7, depending on whether the spasm is active or not. Sitting in certain chairs for more than 15 minutes sets off a month long spasm (it would be longer, except that I have learned over the years how to stop it). When it is triggered - the pain is between a 4 and a 7 every minute I am vertical. During those periods I regularly get second degree burns (I have three at the moment) because the only thing which keeps the spasm from being permanent is spending 18 hours a day on a heating pad (including sleeping on it overnight).

But even when I am vertical, though, with an active spasm the pain would not affect my strength. I semi-regularly lift 80 lb bags of salt for our water softener (even with an active spasm), and the 2000 lb boulder - balanced on a small dirt mound - would not have taken much more than that to knock over.

Again - I am not defending the criminal and idiotic behavior of this person, but perpetuating the simplistic view of disabling back injuries such as the views expressed in this thread (on which the allegations of being a fraud, cheat, or faker are based) had a real impact on my life when I sought compensation for my own injuries. The partial permanent disability payment I received was far less than I have ultimately spent on physical therapy, diagnosis, medication and other treatments, and lost work time. And that doesn't include any compensation for the very real chronic pain I have lived with for more than 30 years.

[deurbano]

33. I'm really sorry you have to deal with not only such a painful condition...

but the lack of understanding. It is hard enough dealing with the actual condition, without having to risk being viewed as a faker and a cheat, too, and I'm also sorry for the inadequate compensation that has resulted from those kinds of false perceptions.

[Ms. Toad]

34. Thank you.

The disability system is such an assembly line racket. While I am sure there are people trying to slide through - the tests they did to determine whether I was disabled were only relevant to one limited kind of back injury (not mine) - and when I pointed it out to them, they didn't even explore to find out the parameters of the disability I did have. So the knee jerk reaction that if a disability doesn't look like a stereotypical one, it must be being faked is too close to how I know the real system works.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

38. Yep. Everyone thinks they're an expert. Not saying there's not fraud, but

you can't make a judgement without all of the details.

[joshcryer]

41. Agreed completely.

But the video won't look good in court, if he pursues the lawsuit.

He may well have an injury from the car accident. I got whiplash that took 3 months to stop hurting. I didn't hurt for the first two-three days after the accident. I even signed a waiver that I was OK. Pow, couldn't move my neck for 3 months. Extreme pain, I would say on a 8-9 scale.

I could probably have pushed that boulder over during my neck pain, but it would've been with my foot or something, and it wouldn't have magically meant my neck was OK. I remember struggling to put water in the water cooler and my brother asking me if I was OK. It could be done, but it was extremely precarious.

[Ms. Toad]

64. Agreed as to the video and the court impression.

Largely because the jury is made up of people who have the same impression of what a disabling back injury looks like as those in this thread; who would also have believed the disability evaluators/doctors who reviewed my case by measuring how far I could bend in multiple directions.

FWIW, my injury never restricted my range of motion, but any person with medical training and most without can still find physical evidence of my injury more than 30 years later in under 30 seconds just by touching the tight muscle mass focused just to the right of T7 (and, when active, extending down to T12 and up to T1),

[joshcryer]

69. Indeed, that was what I was going for.

A jury is going to look at that video and have a very negative opinion of the man.

The evidence of his disability, if he has one (not to discount his claim), will be glossed over. Having been on juries, they can be fickle things. It kind of sucks (though I can't think of a better system, juries tend to get it right in criminal cases, more so than judges or tribunals; civil cases are another matter).

Looking back, I think my neck whiplash didn't actually surface for an entire week (it was a bad time for me so the dates I thought up were off). At first I thought I'd just slept "weird" and my neck was just temporarily hurt. But when it went on, and on, and on, for 3 dang months, it became apparent, each day, that it was a real injury. I'm so glad that it's over with and I've read that it may reoccur in the future. I dread that day. If I told anyone the accident was responsible they'd laugh at me. These things can be hidden, they can be hard to detect. My brother refused to believe I was hurting ... even as I lugged a 5 gallon jug of water 4 feet into the air to replace the jug on the water cooler.

I could do a lot of things with the pain, I just had to be careful, and know my limits. So it was as if nothing was wrong with me at all. But I'll be damned if I couldn't turn my head!

BTW, sorry to hear about your injury, if I had an injury that was so long lasting I don't know how I'd cope. My whiplash seriously traumatized me emotionally, and even when the pain went away I kept my range of motion limited for weeks, until I realized it wouldn't hurt. It's been 2 months since it stopped hurting, and from time to time I'll still get a stiff neck, I hate that.

[Ms. Toad]

84. I've mostly made peace with it.

It's always there - about a 2 this morning. The small nagging pain is often worse than brief intense pain.

But I know which chairs will set it off (extended sitting is the biggest trigger these days), and go prepared to any conference (which, unfortunately, my work requires) with my tens unit (which can often prevent the spasm from moving above baseline), or to sit on the floor, or backwards at a chair. People look at me strangely - but what else is new.

What drives me up the wall are things like the physical therapist I had to see for the vertigo (a late consequence of this injury, a long ago hearing loss on this side, and a second muscle injury on the same side). I've been through the mill with physical therapists who all want me to sit up straight (the worst position for my particular back injury), and treat all thoracic injuries with the same kitchen sink approach which does not work for my spasm. It was her intake in July which set off the current spasm I am just working my way down from - which is why I am currently healing from 3 quarter sized 2nd degree burns. I nearly did not return, but it was her bosses' wisdom I was looking for since he is well respected as the only one with a good clue for handling the particular flavor of vertigo I have.

Fortunately, I made a big enough stink that I got away from her and was assigned to someone less technically proficient but more inclined to listen to me and to her boss (who is the vertigo guru for the area). I've now been nearly entirely vertigo free since late August (after 11 months of constant vertigo). BUT nothing that the PT who refused to listen to me did played any role in getting rid of the vertigo so it was totally unnecessary.

But back to the beginning - fortunately I knew enough to go to the doctor immediately, even though my pain didn't start until a couple of days later. It quickly escalated enough that I had to become left handed (as a teacher writing on a chalk board) for most of a year because any use of my arm with my elbow away from my side was an instant trigger). At its worst, even writing on a paper on my desk was impossible.

After a half dozen physical therapists, a pain clinic, a multi-disciplinary back clinic, and way too many drugs, it became clear I would have to figure out a non-pharmaceutical way of living with it. I have drugs which will interrupt it, but because they create both physical and emotional depression I use them as a last resort. So, as I say, I've mostly made peace with it. When it gets triggered, just resign myself to an extended stay on my heating pad.

I have a new pain (surgically induced - that second injury on the same side) - and it's a whole new world of getting used to it. We have not made peace with each other - but I look forward to the day we do.

At least the vertigo is gone - and I feel like I have most of my life back!

[WCLinolVir]

44. I agree completely. It depends on your injury.

Disk herniations cause different problems at different levels, for example.

[treestar]

26. This is where spying turns out to be justified

[marble falls]

28. Who needs tort reform when the fraudsters have smart phones and youtube and no common...

sense?

[haele]

37. They'll laugh him out of court.

And this is an injury lawsuit, not a SSDI filing. He'll never get anything for a "bad back" now. His lawyer is probably ready to shoot him, his insurance will drop him like a rock...

Stupid asshole.

Haele

[SoapBox]

40. Asshole Scammer.

...get a job bum.

[WCLinolVir]

43. Filing a lawsuit is not the same as SSDI.

He filed a lawsuit for a car accident.You have to go through a process for SSDI. It takes years. Please get the facts straight folks. His weight is probably a factor for sure.

[mountain grammy]

49. Well, just as long as he's not gay, that being Utah and all...

[Hamlette]

54. maybe not gay but most likely a Mormon in good standing

vast majority of boy scout troops in Utah are run by the Mormon church.

[mountain grammy]

62. Such fine, upstanding citizens all...like Mittens with his sissors..

destructive bullies.

[hexola]

52. Check out what he did in Taiwan just days before!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

53. The people that dilly dally around after that boulder never heard my mother's saying - where there's

...one, there's two.

It pertained to socks and gloves but still.....

[rpannier]

55. It's A Miracle!!! He Has Been HEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUULD!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness for miracles
Now he can drop his claim and get a job

[toby jo]

56. Guy's been getting hate mail from around the world.

Says he can't believe it, then said that he did it because the rock was about to fall and he was saving lives.

Looks like the typical American redneck buttwad to me.

[Ash_F]

61. That was a 200 million year old formation

That rock was worth more than that SOB.

[JohnnyRingo]

78. Make him put it back.

Jail won't help his guy, and a substantial fine is what he'll likely get, so why not give him the option to put things back the way they were?

Of course I'm kidding, but I'd like to see him muster up volunteers to help. Not a friend in the world.

[Drale]

83. The family of the teen "who caused the crash"

should counter sue for emotional distress put on the teen by this fraudulent lawsuit. Take everything this POS has.

[AngryAmish]

88. Whenever I see something like the balanced rock I get the urge to do the same thing

They are called intrusive thoughts. Everyone gets them. But most normal people would not act on them no matter what.

What happened to this guy's self control?

[undiegrinder]

93. It could have been worse ...

They could have gone to a natural history museum ....

"Whoooa, dooood ! That dinosaur skeleton's gonna fall on some kid !!!"


Or the Great Pyramid ...

"We gotta push these 4-ton blocks of granite over the side before some kid who's illegally climbing the exterior like us trips over 'em !!!"


Or the Louvre ...

"Some kid's gonna rub up against that Mona Lisa pitcher and get his clothes all dirty !!!"


Or the Smithsonian ...

"Never mind the display case and motion-controlled sensors, Doooood ! Some kid's gonna CHOKE on those wooden teeth !!!"


There's no end to the havoc sheer idiocy can cause.

[ellie]

99. God, I love the internet.

[judesedit]

103. An example of the success of the 'Dumbing Down Of America' program.Don't believe me.Check it out

Type in Dumbing Down Of America in your browser. You'll get a wake-up call. These guys are leading our young men by teaching them to destroy national treasures and God knows what else. Poor slobs, must be tea-party members. You know, like the ones screaming about how they hate government-run health care in one breath and "don't touch my medicare" in the next breath. Sounds like this guy was trying to rip somebody off for some ailment, but he got caught in the act of acting out. They looked fine when they were jumping around for joy. Saw no disabilities, that's for sure. Unless it's a mental disability....maybe I'd have to agree in that case.

[Alhena]

107. Wait, I thought the Earth was only five thousand years old

this guy was obviously sent by God to test our faith.

I for one ain't buying it!

[LiberalElite]

110. UPDATE RE: BOULDER ROLL

http://nypost.com/2013/10/21/boulder-roll-video-may-cost-man-lawsuit-win/

Alan Macdonald laughed it up last week, watching video of another Utah man, thoughtlessly destroying a 170 million-year-old rock formation.

Little did Macdonald know, he was chuckling at a piece of of potentially lawsuit-winning evidence.

[davidpdx]

117. He is a A-1 asshat

To be clear he is suing the other person in the accident. Some people seem to be making this about things that it aren't.

Also the Boy Scouts have thrown them out.

[juajen]

118. can't cure stupid!