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Baltimore Woman Sues Mayor Over ‘Exploding Toilet,’ Claims City Did A Shoddy Job Of Fixing Sewage System

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 09:34 PST, Mar 17, 2016

When a Baltimore woman sues the mayor over poor maintenance of sewage system, it means the proverbial human waste has hit the fan.

A Baltimore woman is suing city officials, including the mayor, for getting “grievously” injured when her toilet exploded like a mini-volcano. She has alleged that her “exploding toilet” caused her not just physical harm, but when the contents of the community’s collective waste landed on top of her, she was scarred, possibly for life. The incident happened way back in November 2014, but the woman is now suing Baltimore officials, two city contractors, and of course the mayor for her “role” in the shoddy maintenance of the city’s sewage system that resulted in the explosion, reported WBFF-TV.

The woman suing city officials and contractors alleges she was injured physically and emotionally when her toilet exploded in a geyser of feces, reported UPI. In her lawsuit, which is bound to evoke multiple gag reflexes during the hearing, Angela Wright claims she was peacefully using her bathroom toilet, when suddenly it started backing up, and before she could react, it exploded. The alleged explosion was so powerful, Wright says she was “blown off her seat.”

Before the toilet had stopped acting like a miniature Mount Vesuvius, the poor woman was extensively covered in human waste. Perhaps the unfortunate woman may have attempted to check what had gone wrong, because she claims the barrage of waste hit her face as well. The massive tidal wave of feces erupted beneath her with such intensity that it caused her physical harm, she alleges.

Aside from physical injuries, Wright justifiably insists she now suffers from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome). Anyone who has been hit with human waste is expected to suffer from a high degree of stress. Wright also claims that the incident caused significant damage, and though it hasn’t been specifically mentioned, one can only imagine the hefty cleaning, deodorizing, and sanitization exercise that had to be undertaken to rid the premises of the ungodly smell and contents.

The woman is now suing the city’s mayor and City Council, as well as a couple of city contractors, for $75,000 each, or $225,000 in full, reported the Baltimore Sun. Reliving the alleged nightmare through the court filing, Wright said,

“I was using the facilities when the system got backed up and exploded, knocking me off the toilet seat with great force and violence, leaving me covered in excrement and seriously wounded. I was literally covered in feces. … Who wants that?”

Why does the Baltimore woman think it is the city’s fault her toilet exploded? Apparently, Baltimore city had hired private contractors Spiniello Companies Inc. and Heitkamp Inc. to clean out the sewer line in Wright’s neighborhood. Sewer lines regularly get clogged not only due to steady accumulation of human waste, but also because of other nasty stuff that people flush down the toilet. Since the sewer lines are one of filthiest places on earth, contractors were supposed to use high-pressure hoses to clear out the accumulated waste.

That is why the lawsuit, filed last month in Baltimore City Circuit Court, names the city council, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and contractors Spiniello Companies Inc. and Heitkamp Inc. reported Yahoo.

It is not immediately clear if the commode itself actually exploded or if the burst of waste was caused by contractors using high-pressure hoses, reported ABA Journal. However, Wright insists that this is the second time that her toilet had burst. Fortunately, she wasn’t sitting on the proverbial throne during the first time. This time, when the same thing happened and she was unfortunate to be sitting on the toilet, Wright decided to sue for “mental anguish” and “loss of enjoyment of her usual pursuits and pastimes.”

Her attorney, meanwhile, notes the bathroom alone will likely cost around $14,000 to repair, and her suit mentions she’s already racked up about $3,300 in medical bills, reported Newser.

[Photo by Jewel Samad/Getty Images]

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