"NEW YORK, NY. A man was knocked down by a car and got up
uninjured, but lay back down in front of the car when a
bystander told him to feign injury in order to collect
insurance money. The car rolled forward and crushed him to
death." (AP, 1977)
"Ireland set out to crack down on alcohol-related traffic
accidents. A spokesman for the Automobile Association in
Dublin said it's time to stop blaming accidents on
motorists: "In many cases the pedestrian is to blame. Often,
he is lying prone in the roadway." (Esquire, 1992)
"In an unusual wife-battering case, Mr. Kao Khae Saeo-han,
26, of Sacramento, California, became hysterical and
repeatedly struck his wife with a frozen squirrel."
(Spectator, 1992)
"Local police, the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Bureau of
Criminal Investigations, a surveillance helicopter, and
several television crews swarmed Randy Sciria's home
Thursday after officials thought they saw marijuana growing
behind his house. The plants turned out to be pine trees."
(Liberty, 1994)
"The Times erroneously reported Friday that Jill Lansing,
attorney for Lyle Menendez, burst into tears at the
conclusion of her closing argument in the Menendez brothers'
murder trial. In fact, she became misty-eyed and had a catch
in her voice." (LA Times, 1993)
"Democratic House candidate George Kelley has been through
various troubles with the law, including both a 1991 charge
of failing to pay child support and a 1993 arrest for
menacing his wife with a handgun. He now says he has
overcome these problems, and notes that 'we need people in
the Legislature who have a broad range of experiences.'"
(Liberty, 1997)
"Frances Bobnar of Adamsburg, Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit
against the Pennsylvania Lottery Commission, claiming that
she and family members have spent over $150,000 on lottery
tickets during the last ten years but have never won."
(Philadelphia Enquirer - AP, 1994)
[Editor's note: Apparently this piece is a 'classic',
meaning it's quite old - but I've never seen it before, so
here it is anyway.]
