Goblin Valley State Park in Utah is named so for its various natural, mushroom shaped sculptures that have been formed through millions of years of water and wind erosion. The locals called the sandstone structures goblins, giving the park its ghoulish name. A video taking place in the park has recently gone viral; it features a man knocking over a million-year-old structure while his son cheers him on. After a few seemingly hard pushes, the rock formation cracks and tumbles down a hill. The man doing the pushing is Boy Scout leader Glen Taylor. Taylor’s leadership has since been revoked due to the vandalism, but his internet fame has gotten Taylor in some even hotter water. Apart from prompting widespread scrutiny for his un-scout-like behavior, some have put two and two together after a personal injury lawsuit Taylor has recently filed.
Four years prior to the rock pushing, Taylor was in a car wreck. In September of this year, just weeks before the historic tumble, Taylor claimed that he sustained “serious and debilitating injuries” from the car accident. The video has raised red flags regarding this claim, and many have scrutinized the validity of his legal action.
In an attempt to defend his actions, Taylor insists that the rock formations are a danger to hikers. He believes that they can fall at any moment due to instability and a strong breeze. However, park official Jeff Rasmussen has been working at Goblin Valley State Park for 22 years and he has yet to see any formation tumble due to non-human intervention.
Making a personal injury claim is not an action that should be taken lightly. If you are legitimately suffering from the wrongdoing of another, be it food poisoning, bicycle accident, or someone pushing a boulder on top of you; please contact W.T. Johnson for legal counsel.
