Unbeknownst to Bob, some hilarious individual had doused the toilet seat with superglue, instantly joining Bob's ass and the toilet seat in an unholy union that was to be the subject of a 4-year-long legal battle.
Bob says no one at the Home Depot would help him. He says they thought it was a hoax and ignored his pleas for help. Bob says he became frighted and sat there swallowing nitroglycerin pills for his severe heart condition while waiting for someone to rescue him. Eventually, after another customer called 911, paramedics had to unbolt the toilet seat and take both Bob and it to the emergency room.
The operation proved unwieldy and the seat was torn from Bob's butt in transit, resulting in a very unappetizing photograph of Bob's angry, red bare ass that you can view at The Smoking Gun. This was 2003. Now Bob says the incident gave him post-traumatic stress disorder and that he's developed diabetes as a direct result of Home Depot's negligence. Bob says Home Depot didn't offer to pay for his medical bills, including the ambulance and the emergency room visit. According to CBS4Denver, they offered him $2,000, but he turned it down calling it "an insult."
Speaking with CBS4Denver, Bob said,
"I don't believe I have much of a future ahead because of that status of by diabetes and I'm still going through these nightmares, and it still creates a lot of anxiety which increases my sugar levels consistently. It's very difficult to express how much.. in depth.. this has taken over my body. It's totally changed my way of life, period. I don't feel comfortable going out anymore. My whole personality is somewhat changed because I'm not out there with anybody. I'm not associating. I'm pretty much introverting and just staying at my home. I'm not as outgoing as I once used to be. I don't go out and enjoy my sports... to go fishing. It's totally changed my entire life.I'm nothing more than a crumpled cripple sitting at home, waiting to die.
There are a lot of people who will laugh at this situation, and I suppose there's some realm of slapstick that we've been taught to laugh at, but when this happens, this is serious. When.. it.. it.. changed my entire life. I'm not able to go out and enjoy the things that I used to. Going out just to.. dating and/or fishing. And/or doing most anything common. I'm not capable of doing this anymore.
Bob was recently rushed to the hospital in a diabetic coma, according to the Daily Camera. His lawyer says:
"Our contention has been that his post-traumatic stress disorder brought about his diabetic condition," he said. "So you can say, 'Well, this would not have occurred but for (the toilet-seat incident.)'"If Dougherty were to die before the case goes to trial, Cohen said, "The law limits his (estate's) ability to collect damages for pain and suffering."
"But he really wants to have his day in court," Cohen said.
Sticky Seat Case: The Smoking Bum? [The Smoking Gun]
Man glued to Home Depot toilet seat recovering from coma [Daily Camera]
Man Speaks About Home Depot Toilet Seat Incident [CBS4Denver]
@MissJ: "Tutankhamen old" LOL
]]>Here in N. California a Level III ER visit and an ambulance ride can easily be in the region of $20,000. If this guy didn't have insurance then the $2,000 is not going to compensate him adequately.
]]>As for the rest of the story - I have no idea and really don't care. I know nothing about PTSD or diabetes. Is it plausible that a couple of punks left a toilet seat / CA surprise only to have someone carelessly (or hurriedly) sit on it sometime later, resulting in an ass catastrophe? Yep. Does he have the right to sue HD for ignoring him, pain and mental anguish and all that + some medical bills. Sure. After that, you've lost me...
]]>@soulman901: Wrong, you show negligence by letting your drunk friend leave. If HD did not know about the glue, they could not have prevented this. They need to know about it to fix it. Should they be checking their restrooms on a regular basis? yes, but if they checked the restroom 30 minutes before this happened and they check them every two hours, they would not have known. this is especially true if there is a different bathroom for the employees.
also for the record: to all of you that think that just because you get hurt on someone elses property, it's their fault.....wrong. It doesn't matter where it happened at all, what matters is why it happened and how the owner of the property caused it or could have prevented it. God I hate when people think that just because they got hurt at some store the store owes them gobbs of money.
What if instead of putting glue on the toilet seat these asshats just all of a sudden rushed into the restroom and beat this guy into a pulp? is that HD's fault? no, they had no prior knowledge of the situation. Same as this glue, they didn't know about it.
]]>Of course, WD-40 could of been used to get the person unstuck. Ether way, the seat needs to be replaced and the tape pulled.
]]>I really shouldn't have clicked the link for his "angry, red bare ass"
]]>Alternatively, the prolonged stress can be severe enough to result in a "state of mental exhaustion," which would include PTSD. Hypertension is a known effect of PTSD. Comorbid factors such as obesity and heart disease (this guy wasn't too healthy to begin with) combined with hypertension = adult-onset diabetes.
This is an oversimplification, because I don't want to get into the whole hypothalamic-pituitary axis ;)
That said, and without the benefit of an entire medical history, I would agree with the poster above that this guy already had diabetes and wasn't diagnosed, or that he was borderline. But, it is certainly possible, however unlikely, that an acute stress can become chronic can lead to diabetes.
]]>Oh God, I'm still laughing!! I can't help it since i clicked on pics of his angry, bare ass!
]]>Having said that.... It happened at Home Depot, but Home Depot did not put the glue on the toilet seat. At some certain level, there has to be a limit on liability. There is no standard expectation of "glue on toilet seat" to check against. I understand being sued if it snows, you don't shovel your walk and someone slips. That is a cause and effect that could have been predicted. Is infantile pranks a standard expectation in retail?
I also find PTSD a stretch. Can it occur from the humiliation of one short-lived event? Anything is possible I suppose. Still, it is usually something seen in times of war or severe violence. Diabetes is more often an issue of genetic disposition, but other factors can contribute. I do find it tenuous at best to say that this one event would be the cause, even if stress can be shown to contribute.
Finally, if this really is the second toilet seat gluing for this guy as some news outlets are saying, that would just say it all. One event is hard to believe, two would mean they should have checked his pockets and the drains for glue packets.
]]>Sorry, Home Depot can be held liable for this. It happened in their bathroom, their store, on their property. It's like someone coming over to your house to watch a football game on TV. They get drunk, leave your home and get in a car wreck. You would be held liable for that wreck.
I really do hope he wins.
So who here would run in and help a guy screaming for help while he's taking a #2?
]]>Home depot should have come to his aid yes, they really cannot control what goes on in a public restroom, so if someone went in there and put superglue on it (this is assuming this guy did not glue himself to the toilet), they really are not responsible for whomever did that. Unfortunatly a retail store cannot control the behavior of customers. They should have helped him though, it did happen in their store, so they have a responsibility to help, and I don't think you should ignore someone needing help either.
]]>@MercuryPDX:
I hear ya -- I think your points are valid. I will make sure the editors see them (in case they haven't seen them on this thread) -- it's really their show to run.
And the introduction was recent, but as Ben mentioned, I've been working behind the scenes for a little while -- so the formal intro post the other day was one step in a process. Please don't think I'm some evil hall monitor waiting to swing the banhammer at anyone, because I'm not. One of my favorite things about Consumerist is the comments feature, and I'm happy to be a part of helping keep the quality high.
]]>Unless they can prove it was a HD employee who pulled the prank, I don't think they should be held liable. They can't help it if people are asses and they'd be sued from here to Sunday if they put camera's in the crappers.
]]>However. It is this man that allowed these events to ruin his life-not Home Depot. In that regard, I have no more sympathy for him than I might a person who uses his somewhat achy back as an excuse to force his wife to move all the boxes.
]]>This guy's lawyer must be on crack. His client is describing major depression symptoms. Post tramatic stress over a toilet incedent? It's not like surviving a train wreck. Oh well, at least we've proven that there are no loss prevention cameras in the HD bathroom.
]]>Are you shure? I use super glue farly often, and it my case, it bonds to skin in like, 5 seconds.
]]>@anatak: As you said, cyanocrylate (Super Glue) does not dry immediately - especially not sitting there out in the open on a toilet seat - cyanocrylate is an anerobic adhesive, and only cures quickly in the absence of oxygen - so it's plausible that when the customer sat down, the super glue had been present for some time, then cured quickly once the "meat met the seat".
Still, I highly doubt virtually every other aspect of his tale of woe.
Nice to see all the 'blame the victim' folks rushed in to make obvious remarks, pushing more moderate and informative comments to the bottom of the thread.
]]>Stress hormones can increase blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. I'm not clear on whether stress hormones can increase blood glucose levels in perfectly heatlhy people such that they end up with diabetes. Said another way, this guy probably was already diabetic before the accident and just didn't know (never diagnosed) or borderline diabetic.
I'm not sure how Home Depot is responsible for the glue on the seat (unless the store employee put said glue on the seat or Home Depot was on notice that jokesters were running rampant in the store, other incidents) but they should have come to his aid. I totally believe that this guy has am emotional damages claim (he had a toliet seat ripped off his bum).
]]>When I go into a restroom or even at home. I look where I sit my caboose. Lord knows I surely would sit on anything that looked wet, not to mention it had to stink of crazy glue... A hint of somethings not right... But then to sit your ass on something that was wet. Had I been blind enough to sit on it I surely would have got my white rear off it... What's with people these days???
]]>IIRC you were just introduced as the moderator, and the buttons (Flag post, follow commenter) just appeared with no warning, instructions, or discussion on their proper use/abuse. There's nothing in the FAQ about any of it.
]]>Stress could exacerbate an existing case of diabetes but would not create one out of the blue.
[health.yahoo.com]
He is going to have a very high burden of proof for this.
]]>1. the lottery
2. an inheritance
3. winning a major lawsuit
I'm guessing this dude was/is hoping for #3. While I feel for his predicament (I've got a medical condition that sometimes requires *immediate* trips to the john), I can't understand taking the time to observe your surroundings. There are also inconsistencies with his story as reported by the media and his story as outlined in the court documents. If he's on the up-and-up, I'd expect his stories, especially WRT who made the call to emergency services, to match--and they don't. Me thinks he is trying to be set for the rest of his life.
For me, I'm saving and investing. If I get any of the above, that's bonus cash.
]]>@meiran: I think that most of that is being ascribed to the PTSD, not the diabetes.
]]>@CumaeanSibyl:
I think the whole idea is elevating the level of discourse around here. I got tired of people calling the JoAnn Fabrics customer an idiot who should have stayed home. Lots of people have good commentary to contribute, so people whose sole "contribution" is calling the OP or victim a ____ing _____ tend to muck up the works, don't you think?
@wring:
ILU2
@Rectilinear Propagation:
Hard to say, as there are still some changes being made to the site. Do you have a suggestion/preference?
@MercuryPDX:
Maybe -- that'd be up to Ben, Meghann, et. al. I've been reading Consumerist for a while, and I'd venture to say that the vast majority of commenters know what's cool and what's not cool.
@TheBigLewinski:
I'm not the editor, just someone who's trying to help keep Consumerist a nice place to be. After all, if Consumerist started to suck, then what would we do when we're supposed to be working? ;-)
I've done an informal poll among my friends about bathroom habits, there are two types of people in the world.
1) Me, who goes in and uses the bathroom. No cover, no nothing. Flush with my hands. Mom did that, I do that. Never thought anything of it (and then I wash and dry my hands of course).
2) Jerks, I mean, my friends who are the reason public bathrooms get covered in pee and/pieces of toilet paper because they just can't sit down, and if they don't have enough TP to do a seat cover they have to perch and pee all over the seat. AND then they use their feet to flush the handle. They are the reason why bathrooms are gross (I repeat). I think needed therapy after finding that out.
I'm curious as to why they (Home Depot)thought it was a "hoax".Does that happen alot there?
BTW,is it just me,or did the story remind anyone of those Beavis and Butthead cartoons where Beavis was The Great Cornholio?
"I need TP for my bunghole!"
]]>Hey, the guy is lucky he had a hairy ass to protect his skin.
]]>oh, I like it when you talk that way.....
To the editor, I find it rediculous that we can't bash the "victim" because they did something idiotic and then try to blame someone else.
]]>Diabetes from a glued toilet seat.
Wow... I don't even know where to begin. Wow...
Was this a terrible situation? YES
Is Home Depot liable for at least the humiliation part of this case? YES
Unfortunately, this is just going to open up every company to scam lawsuits. What is to say I couldn't do this exact same thing at any store in America? Suffer a little 'pain in the ass' and sue for millions.
And the guy is 57 and it doesn't appear that he is a specimen of the human body. He probably had diabetes before any of this ever happened.
Gluing your fat ass to a toilet seat WILL NOT give you diabetes.....
Damn.
]]>The photo didn't look all that bad. hold on let me rephrase that, the "wound" in the photo didn't look all that bad that it would have been from something that caused PTSD.
Looks to me like he could have actually gotten up any time he wanted to and it would have just come off. I didn't see missing skin, i'm not wearing my glasses and I didn't want to look super close, but I still didn't see blood/missing flesh or anything.
]]>Super glue does not "harden quickly". Especially if it weren't super glue, but rather pure cyanoacrylate (the active ingredient). I've used CA a lot and if left on a non-porous or moisture resistant surface (like a public toilet seat), then it will not "harden". It is quite feasible for it to not have "hardened" or evaporated in the timespan of several hours. I've inadvertently glued my fingers to things several times because I either couldn't see the wet glue on the surface or I thought there was no way there would be any left after so long. And CA will bond pretty well instantly to skin. With that amount of surface area to bond to... you'll have a hell of a time getting it off.
Even if it were tacky and not wet, 'dry-pasting', as its called, is a very effective way of adhering two surfaces.
]]>"I'm nothing more than a crumpled cripple sitting at home, waiting to die."
I think that's really a personal choice. I have friends and family with Diabetes that still lead normal and productive lives. I hope he gets some mental help to come to the realization that Diabetes is not a death sentence if you're willing to change your lifestyle. If he doesn't, then his self-fulfilling prophecy will most certainly come true.
In the absence of seat covers, use toilet paper or at the very least wipe it down first. There's all kinds of nasty on toilet seats. If it's an "emergency" then a hover maneuver is your best option.
]]>I love his description of himself: "a crumpled cripple". Alliterative and it has a good beat.
]]>If not, how did he manage to glue himself down before the glue dried? In every washroom at Home Depot I've been in, there are 15 stalls or so. He would have had to have picked a stall that somebody just left, because anything longer than 30 seconds and that glue is dry. Why would he pick a stall that someone just left?
Also, he would have to be awfully quick in getting his pants down and sitting down.
]]>Same here!
]]>@King of the Wild Frontier: I will admit to avoiding it due to the description of the photo.
]]>Both of my parents are diabetic. One is insulin dependent, the other just regulates with diet and medication. A lot of people in my family are diabetic.
I don't care how difficult his sugar levels are, he CAN work with them and he CAN manage them with the help of a physician. Yes, he has a heart condition and he's probably not in the best health. But you can get past a lot of health problems if you're willing to try to retain your life.
Diabetes is a difficult disease, yes. The stress of the experience is probably hard to deal with too.
But it does not a "crumpled cripple" make.
Yes, he should have his medical bills covered. They should take responsibility for their employees ignoring a customer in pain and in distress. After that? I don't believe they owe him anything further.
]]>You have to feel bad for the guy, in that I would be pissed and humiliated to have been in that "position," but I don't think it's something you try to sue the "crap" out of Home Depot for.
]]>The guy has a valid claim regarding being glued to the toliet and the medical bills directly associated with that (although MissJ is right, the bottle probably don't say that being glued to a toliet makes it a good idea to go crazy with the pills).
But I'm sorry, an old man with a serious heart condition is not going to convince me that THIS ONE INCIDENT gave him diabetes. No.
]]>Why didn't they apologize for not believing he needed help and then try to track down who put the super glue (or whatever) on the toilet? A store camera might have caught someone taking the glue into the bathroom and then he could have sued the prankster.
]]>B) They were in Home Depot. There is a lot of *industrial* super-glue in those types of buildings. I'm surprised it didn't harden before he sat on it. It would have only taken a few seconds for the skin to start bonding to the seat, if that long. Trust me, I went through an unfortunate experience with super glue and fabric while building a set in college. NOT a fun trip to make to the ER.
C) Stress has a direct effect on glucose levels, at least in terms of Type 2 diabetes, from what I understand. ([www.diabetes.org]) Yes, the stress-to-diabetes argument is shaky, but if he can prove medically a correlation between the event and his diabetes, he deserves his day in court.
The fact that no one helped him is what scares me the most, and it took another customer to take care of the situation. I just hope the guy gets somewhat better.
]]>Like I said, seems there are details of the story missing.
]]>Although I shouldn't be I am surprised that after the Jo-Ann Fabrics, wherein the woman experience leakage almost immediately, commentors are still insisting that people experiencing diarehha have time to wipe down the seat and contruct a toilet paper seat cover before sitting down.
]]>Listening to the guy I definitely feel bad for him. I can quite see how he got diabetes from it, but I can see how he could be very embarrassed about the incident and have reoccurring nightmares. I can't understand why his life is ruined now. Plenty of people have diabetes. I do think Home Depot should have paid his medical bills and offered him some settlement, though a small one.
I am unsure if Home Depot should be responsible, on one hand it happened at their store, on the other hand they can't possibly prevent every possible thing. If you get stabbed in a Home Depot should be be able to sue Home depot- I don't think so. If Home Depot has a water leak and you trip and fall should they be responsible- I think so. This falls in the middle for me- it did happen somewhere that Home Depot is responsible for maintaining, but they can't do everything.
Also, what kind of sick f**k puts super glue on a toilet seat, I've never heard of that.
]]>Honestly this is too much. Don't want to be a "victim basher" but really, this is another case of American's sueing for stupid reasons. He is due a little bit of money, but to go as far as to say "I got glued to a toilet seat and it ruining my life" is dumb.
Lots of people suffer embaressing situations, and they get on with life, without suing. I hope he doesn't get any cash at all, I have no pity for those who make up stories. Diabetes, right...
]]>You'd stand there and wipe a few drops off, even if it cost you crapping your pants?! I can actually see that side of it (sitting on super glue) being plausible.
]]>@Consumerist Moderator - ACAMBRAS: Is victim-blaming going to be banned? I thought that was about 75% of the traffic here.
]]>I find it difficult to believe that anyone (even someone who REALLY needs to go) would just plop their ass down on an obviously wet PUBLIC RESTROOM toilet seat. That's just freaking disgusting.
]]>But if someone had been in there 1, 2, 5, 10 minutes prior...Home Depot doesn't have a towel boy at the door of the restroom checking to make sure everything is always spic and span. It would be a waste of money, generally.
]]>Gel super glue really doesn't harden in just seconds. It has the tendency to stay tacky and pliable for a little longer. I could also have been something like epoxy. Were there any crime lab tests done on the chemical makeup of the anal adhesive?
]]>@Toof_75_75: Because they're supposed to keep the restroom clean? At least clean enough to be used.
They'll probably say it's their fault for refusing to help him but I don't think you can be held liable for refusing to help someone, even if they're dying.
]]>Yes, the flagged comments inbox is starting to fill up...
]]>His whole case is rested upon the whole incident causing him to basically go into a depressive state which made him go inactive to the point of developing diabeties. I personally don't see it.
Home Depot should have stepped up and covered all his medical bills and then some on the top. That would have been the honorable thing to do. It is a crappy thing, but I don't see his claim as being very valid. There was fault on Home Depot, there was fault on him.
I still can't get past the part of the super glue. If it really was super glue it would just have hardened too quickly to be anyone other than someone just in there, or himself alone. It might not have been super glue though, but something else instead.
]]>1. He's old. Maybe not Tutankhamen old, but he's getting up there in age.
2. He has a severe heart condition and as many know, any severe disease/condition will age you, faster than time will.
3. He wasn't feeling well to begin with.
3. He began taking his nitroglycerin pills for his heart condition (I'm pretty sure the recommended dosage is NOT 'take as many as needed in case of superglue malfunction')
4. Home Depot didn't offer to pay is medical bills, and instead offered $2,000. Since when does a store or company HAVE to pay for your medical bills? I kind of understand they might do so, but do they HAVE to? But also, $2,000 seems like it would pay for a few medical bills.
5. I've studied Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through several peer-reviewed articles and studies, and I have not seen any case where diabetes was a result from PTSD. Plus, nowhere did it say that he was actually diagnosed with PTSD. I actually think it's somewhat of an insult to anyone who actually has PTSD to say that this guy can have it from being glued to a toilet. I mean, there are men from the Vietman War and Korean War who actually have severe PTSD, and this guy is trying to join their ranks by saying he was traumatized? Humiliated, sure, but traumatized? Is he going to wipe down the seat from now on?
Actually, that's a good point...if I have to use a public restroom I ALWAYS wipe down the seat or use one of those paper seat cover things.
]]>This is PURE conjecture here. (I do not know the details of the case)
Atypical antipsychotics are sometimes prescribed to treat PTSD
[www.medscape.com]
Atypical antipsychotics have been shown to increase the risk of developing diabetes.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
So maybe that's how superglue application to the buttocks may, in some convoluted way, cause diabetes.
(Does that mean Home Depot should have to foot the bill for this man's lifelong medical care? I can't imagine arguing for that)
]]>LOL @ Wilfred Brimley...It's true, he does look like him!
]]>OK, I know the opportunities for hilarity are just endless, but I'm going to issue a blanket request here.
If the only purpose of your comment is to victim-blame/bash, please don't post a comment.
]]>When I first read the headline I thought it was a brilliantly funny commentary on the fact that the victim looks a lot like Wilfred Brimley.
I was really disappointed to learn that it was a simple factual statement.
]]>Why didn't he put some TP on the seat if toilet condoms weren't there?
]]>Regardless of how he got there why didn't any of the employees believe him or at least call the cops to have him removed if it was a hoax.
There's too much of a lack of common sense in the retail industry.
]]>Regardless, as always I am sure there are details missing from the story to make the victim pull in sympathy from the public that big bad evil Home Depot is at fault for gluing his ass to the toilet seat. I'd say at best it was their fault for not coming to his aid after pleading, but I still don't understand how stress leads to diabetes....at all.
]]>@Leah: You'd rather get poo all over the place than deal with a little moisture? I always wondered who those people were who did that in public restrooms...
He didn't just have to go, he was feeling sick. There might not have even been another stall to go to. Besides, why the hell should he assume he's sitting on super glue? He gets no sympathy for not crapping his pants?
]]>@vanilla-fro:
I know.My saving throw of sarcasm failed.
@Megatenist: and crabs. they're trying to say that the stress caused it, but If i recall back from my common sense days...genes and eating habits cause diabetes.
]]>@leah I'm assuming that it was already starting to dry when he sat on it, and maybe he was too scared to pull it off once he sat down and it started to harden. Anyways, superglue does act pretty fast so it's definately possible.
]]>So...you can catch diabetes from a toilet seat?
]]>I tripped on the sidewalk once and now I have sickle cell anemia.
Maybe I'm stupid (hold back your agreement please) but how does stress cause diabetes?
]]>