Monday, June 7, 2010
Live From Litchfield Beach, South Carolina
I was on vacation last week. My family and I visited one of the most sacred of all family vacation spots – the beach! Our family goes to Litchfield Beach every year the week of Memorial Day. Litchfield is a quaint little beach, found just north of Pawleys Island and just south of Murrells Inlet, the seafood capital of South Carolina. As I sat there during my vacation at the beach, I couldn’t help but think of all of the products liability cases waiting to happen.
First, I considered all of the sunscreen manufacturers out there that need representation. Seriously, think of all of the times that people have put on sunscreen that is too old and have gotten scorched as a result. Surely, those people checked the expiration date on their Bullfrog or Zinka before they went out onto the beach. Right? Manufacturers of these wonderful products that allow us all to enjoy the beach and to engage in swimming, fishing and sunbathing should not have to worry about the frivolous lawsuits that some cheapskate 30-something year old guy brings when his SPF 30 doesn’t work (Not that I have experienced such an event).
Second, as an avid fisherman I dwelled upon the weary travelers that prick their thumbs with the hooks on their terminal tackle when trying to place a dead mullet on the end of their line. Or what about the nimrod that takes his graphite TICA 9′ rod out to fish the surf during a thunderstorm? I’ve seen the warning on the rod and I think its adequate, but I would venture to guess that there are plenty of plaintiffs out there who think otherwise. For all of the surf rod manufacturers reading this, I will work for fishing gear, but my boss might ask for an hourly fee!
Finally, I thought about all of the air conditioner defect cases that are filed in counties all along the coast. While we were in our own little slice of heaven, our air conditioner went out. The repairman that answered our “after hours” call at 9 p.m. on Sunday night told me that he had fielded 27 calls in 48 hours! I also learned that despite the fact that the unit on our rental was less than two years old, the compressor was “shot.” According to the repairman, “none of these last more than 6 years on this side of the highway.” Apparently, if your home is located on the non-ocean side of the highway you can expect 10 to 15 years out of the same unit that only gets 6 on the ocean side. After talking to the repairman I couldn’t help but to think about two things: (1) all of the home owners filing warranty claims; and (2) all of the renters demanding reimbursement for rental fees for having to “sleep” in 86 degree heat.
In conclusion, I left my hammock behind with a pensive look upon my face and deep in thought. Last week it occurred to me that my vacation closely resembled that of Jack Chester in 1985. John Candy played Chester in one of my favorite movies from the 1980’s, Summer Rental. I am wondering if the manufacturer of that plastic air cast is still around? My foot still hurts after a week’s worth of particularly spirited games of Bocce!
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