Golfer Fights Crocodile, Loses Two Fingers, Sues Course
J.C. RIce
Cue up your Happy Gilmore jokes--Long Island resident Edward Lunger was attacked by a crocodile on a Cancun golf course and bit on the left arm. Lunger managed to somehow wrestle the croc loose, allowing his golfing buddy Mark Martin to grab a boulder to crush the beast's head. And that's not even the crazy part:
Paramedics took Lunger to a private hospital where, he claims, he was forced to pay the $17,800 bill up front before he could get treatment.
The men, and two other friends, split the tab on their credit cards.
Now he's suing the course for $2.25 million for not adequately warning of roaming blood-thirsty reptiles. For their part, the golf course tried to diffuse liability in about the stupidest way possible:
Adding insult to the devastating injuries he faced, Lunger said Iberostar reps began pressuring him to sign papers absolving the resort of responsibility — and when that failed, it allegedly spread rumors that Lunger prompted the attack by teasing the croc with chicken.
“We came with nothing,” Martin fumed. “We rented the clubs there. We [bought] the balls there. Where would we be getting chicken?”
At least, thanks to his and his friend's quick wits, Luger came out relatively OK. His career as an ad man, however, is likely over.
