There’s a word for this story, and that word is “ouch”. A New Zealander is seeking compensation from Toshiba after a spike of metal flew out of his laptop and impaled his hand.
The New Zealand Herald reports on the story, which involves a Toshiba laptop and a chap called William Warner. Mr Warner placed a DVD in the drive tray and closed it, at which point (as per his allegation)
a sharp piece of metal shot out of the drawer and pierced his right palm.
To get informal for a second here, Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch. There is a picture of the wound on the New Zealand Herald site, and it’s not pretty viewing. Mr Warner is seeking compensation from Toshiba; the company initially only offered him a replacement laptop. Thanks to Chris for the tip-off on this story… I think. [New Zealand Herald]
JD
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:04 PMFinally their advert claiming that their laptops are ‘The cutting edge, literally’ makes sense! And there I was thinking they misused the word literally.
RB
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:56 PMzing!
Naser @ Tech Blog
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:41 PMLol, lot of ads here in India about Toshiba laptops, according to the ad, they made the first laptop ever it seems :)
Ozoneocean
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:20 PMI hope he doesn’t get all American and go for millions…
Realistically he should get a replacement top-of-the-line laptop from them (or cash equivalent), and the full cost of his medical bills and reimbursement for any time off work etc.
None of that “emotional distress” crap.
Simon
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:39 PMSo if his medical bills, damaged laptop & time off work are paid
What about is reduced earning capacity, because he needs to find a new job that pays less because he can’t do his job with this injury?
And even if he is reimbursed for that, what does he get in return for having the constant physical pain, and the distress of not being able to do the leisurely activities that he enjoys (like fish or play golf)
Million dollar settlements are justified for Permanent injuries.
In this particular case, I am having trouble believing that at DVD drive would be capable of launching objects at such velocity that it would break through the skin.
wsDK_II
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:06 PMYou are part of what is wrong in the world
Thom
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:27 PMReally – a well structured explanation as to why the injury “might” justify a million dollar pay-out makes him everything that is wrong in the world? Really? Really?
The guy has provided evidence that the wound is permanent, serious and life-altering. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen, but if it is, and it was due to negligent design, why shouldn’t the guy be properly compensated?
Large payouts do not automatically indicate an abuse of the system.
will
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 12:41 AMThe jury shouldn’t award a million dollars cause it is at surface value not an issue of negligence on Toshiba’s end. A CD drive spring physically doesn’t have the required strength to launch a piece of metal with enough momentum to pierce the skin. This is assuming the laptop isn’t physically modded from factory spec. A simple experiment for this find your nearest laptop, press the eject button. see how fast and how far it comes out.
bdc
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:21 PMI find it very hard to believe, I can only assume that the piece of metal is one of the metal tracks the drive slides out on.
The speed/force required to cause an injury like that is far more dvd drives can do.
Not to mention, all the laptops use drives from only a few manufacturers, there would be millions of this particular drive out there.
My guess is there is more to the story than, “a sharp piece of metal shot out of the drawer and pieced his right palm”.
N to the izz A
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:23 PMMythBusters episode on a very similar topic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOb6Z5Tja68
Simon
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:41 PMI’ve had a CD shatter in the drive before.
Granted, they were very cheap CD-Rs bought from a $2 shop. Never again will I buy media from $2 shops.
Simon
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:43 PMAnd it was my first paid computer job as a high school kid, fixing a teacher’s computer at home. I had almost finished the job, was installing one last program off the CD-R and then bam.
Adam
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:42 PMyeah this guy is full of so much shit. there is no way that a dvd drive has that much tension built up.
he must of gotten angry with it and hit it really hard and snapped it or something.
i might be wrong. but i’m pretty sure this guy is an idiot.
Drew
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:45 PMNothing is impossible, it could be true and just a freak accident?
Oz
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:41 PMPhysical impossibility. end of
Matt
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:47 PM… I’m reading this on a Toshiba laptop :/
RB
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:58 PMBetter not use the CD drive then… they have a taste for human blood apparently…
Matt
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 5:07 PMPhew, I guess I’m in the clear then. I can’t remember the last time I used an actual CD or DVD.
lolwut
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 3:58 PMsomething fishy about the story
could it be a faulty laptop?
could it be a defect laptop?
did he repair it previously from a authorized toshiba store?
did he repair it previously from a dodgy computer store?
there are many questions that the story could go both ways
RB
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:00 PMsure it wasn’t that crazy eastern european guy trying to make a switch-blade launching crossbow out of a laptop?
ponton
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:07 PMToshiba Laptop’s – Now with anti porn mechanisms built in! ;)
David S.
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 5:10 PMMPAA & RIAA label that may have been accidentally misplaced or removed:
Attempting to use this computer to rip copyrighted DVDs or CDs may result in injury or death. You have been warned.
Just This Guy ...
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 5:10 PMLooking at the photo, the piece of metal appears to be one of the metal sliders that form part of the drawer mechanism. (I repair toshy laptops for a living)
About the only way that can happen is if he managed to jam the drawer and really REALLY shoved hard to force the drawer shut.
There is nothing inside the machine or the drive that has enough stored up energy to propel anything out, let alone with enough force to actually pierce a persons hand.
He’s trying it on.
Toshiba though, will probably simply offer a replacement (as they have) just to shut him up.
will
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 12:34 AMThe linked article says it was one of those slides you speak of. this appears to be a case of the plaintiff in the wrong, considering the mere fact that when ever a laptop CD drive is opened the spring only pops it out rather than catapulting it out.
Matt L
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 5:11 PMIt’s likely because the sliding arms got jammed, he tried forcing it in, using the might of his entire palm, then the sliding arm either pierced thru the skin, or the tray cover got pulled off, and his hand slipped onto the arm…. His own stupidity really, shouldn’t force these things in… I’m pretty sure it never “Shot into his hand”, as I’m sure there are no spring loaded mechanisms in here at all… At least with that amount of power.
Mike
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 5:32 PMSounds about right lol, no way did it “shoot out” into his hand.
50+y/o group and computers often don’t mix well. 10 to 1 he was forcing it and accidentally pushed the drive cover off, thereby impaling himself.
rdiac
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 6:19 PMDitto all. I’ve had a 60yo crush an Mp3 player. Compounding age, Warner’s a Pom so it simply ought to have done what it ought to have done. Unlike sport where their traditional losing protocol has completely gone off the rails recently. If only his name were Nigel then everything would be explained.
Brian
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 6:55 PMThis sounds like something from final destination…
Lee F
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:12 PMjust another reason to get a mac ;)
Jonathan
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 8:11 PMExcept he was using the optical drive, Lee. His Mac probably wouldn’t have one… :(
will
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 12:34 AMJust another reason to hate don’t you meant?
Just This Guy ...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:39 PMWhy?
Do Macs come with anti- anti-personnel safety mechanisms on their Optical Drives?
unless it’s a different guy rather than a different machine, it wouldn’t make a scrap o’ difference.
Anonymous
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 10:14 PMExtremist laptop much?
b
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 3:09 PMI call bullshit. Aside from the technical impossibility of this (see many above me) there is no opportunity for sue for this kind of damage in NZ as its automatically covered by ACC. See: http://www.acc.co.nz/making-a-claim/am-i-covered/index.htm
Kiwi57
Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 9:43 PMIt did really happen. I drove him part way to the hospital, flagged a cop about half way there, and the cop took him the rest of the way.
He underwent 3 operations. First one removed the spike. Second one opened up the whole wound, and 3 rd one fused some bones in his hand. He has trouble now even doing up the buttons on his shirt, or doing any mechanical job on the car, as his pinch grip and pinch strength have deteriorated immensely.
The photos were taken at the hospital before the spike was removed, and I have photos of the wound since then.
The pc had not been modified at all, as he isn’t a computer whizz. He knows how to switch them on, and off, can play a DVD and can send an email. He can do basic searching on the Internet too. But that is all.
In a way he is just lucky that he doesn’t do a manual job, as he wouldn’t have been able to continue to work at a manual job.
It was a freak accident.if the laptop had been on his lap when it happened, and a child maybe standing beside him, it would’ve killed them.