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Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Welcome to New Europe

Where the train collects damages from the person it runs over:
Railway demands cash from man who was paralyzed after being run over by train
Poland's state railway is claiming compensation from a man who caused delays to its services by being run over by a train -- but said it may forgive the debt after learning his house had burned down. "We are acting in accordance with article 415 of the Civil Code, seeking damages from a person who caused delays in rail traffic," a spokesman said yesterday. Pawel Banaszek, 19, who was paralyzed in the August, 2003, incident, caused $738 worth of losses because of delays. Half the amount was written off and he was paying the rest in $28.70 monthly installments from his $215 disability pension. Gazeta Wyborcza said the man was beaten up in a bar fight and left for dead on the rails, but court officials said there was no conclusive evidence a fight had taken place. Prosecutor Robert Strzeminski said, "We didn't have any evidence of a beating ... so we had to treat it as a simple train accident."
I'd say Banaszek could use a good trial lawyer about now.