The U.S. legal system--the real American pasttime...

I can't imagine what it's like to lose a loved one in a car accident, but this is just ridiculous.

Back in April, Josh Hancock, a relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, ran into a tow truck at high speed that had parked on the side of a highway to help another motorist, and was killed instantly. Hancock's blood alcohol level was 0.157, almost twice the legal limit here in Missouri. Add to that, they determined he was well above the speed limit based on the impact. And if all that wasn't enough, they found marijuana in his car, too. Regardless of the fact that Hancock was drunk and essentially killed himself, it's always tragic when there's a loss of human life.

The craziness, though, comes from the Hancock family who are now filing suit that everyone else was to blame for Josh Hancock's death--the bartender and the restaurant for allowing him to continue drinking after he was probably already intoxicated, the tow truck driver for having stopped on the side of the roadway with his flashers on to do his job, and even the driver of the car the tow truck had stopped to help. About the only people they haven't sued is the customers at the restaurant for not taking Josh home in their own cars, and the Ford Motor Company for not making him an Explorer that drove by itself.

I guess, in the process of trying to accept his death, the family can be excused for not logically seeing the facts of this accident. But no one can excuse the lawyers getting ready to prosecute this case. It's a shame that one of the professions that should be all about ethics gets dragged down into becoming the dirtiest game in town with lawsuits like this.