She claimed that the falling boxes gave her neck, shoulder, and back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome to boot. And when things like this happen regularly, word gets out. For instance, a California surfer recently sued another surfer for taking his wave. The case was eventually dismissed, because the court couldn't set a dollar value on the pain and suffering that the plaintiff endured by watching the defendant enjoy a wave that was intended for him. I ran this one by Ray Helmsworth, a Williamson County Realtor and a former surfer.
Every surfer knows that the wave belongs to the person nearest the critical point in the wave.
In the good old days, anybody who cut off the surfer nearest the critical point would've gotten rammed with a board. He wouldn't have had to worry about getting sued. That does it. I say we ought to come up with a recitation for schoolchildren, like the Pledge of Allegiance, but more practical. If I pull a box off a big high shelf, and it conks me on the head, I blame myself.