A man from California, Henry Wolf, is suing BMW North America over medical expenses, emotional distress and "general damage" related to a four-hour long bike ride that left him with a persistent erection.
According to the local CBS station, Wolf alleges that a ride on his 1993 BMW motorcycle with a "ridge-like" seat caused the erection that has lasted 20 months and resulted in Wolf being "unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish."
According to USA Today, the lawsuit against BMW and aftermarket seat maker Corbin-Pacific was filed last Thursday. The case states that Wolf has been suffering from the erection since September 2012, when he rode his motorcycle.
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Dr. Michael Lutz, of the Michigan Institute of Urology, told WWJ Newsradio, "It’s been long-known that compression of the neurovascular supply to the penis — if it’s compressed for a period of time, whether it be on a bicycle seat or some other device — it can actually cause prolonged numbness of the genitalia."
However, that's the opposite of the problem described by Wold, a persistent, lasting erection, medically known as priapism.
According to the Mayo Clinic, priapism "is an uncommon condition that needs immediate medical attention. Prompt treatment for priapism is usually needed to prevent tissue damage that could result in the inability to get or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)."
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