If you've watched television at any point over the last decade or so, you're probably familiar with the warning that comes at the conclusion of commercials for erectile dysfunction remedies advising gentlemen using the drugs to consult a doctor if their erections last longer than four hours.
But what if you had an erection that stuck around for considerably longer than that--say two years--and it arose not after taking a pill but following a motorcycle ride?
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That's precisely what San Francisco resident Henry Wolf alleges happened to him. Wolf is suing both the bike's manufacturer, BMW of North America, and the company that made the bike's after-market seat, Corbin-Pacific Inc., in a civil suit filed last week in San Francisco Superior Court.
In his lawsuit, Wolf claims he was cruising on his 1993 BMW motorcycle equipped with a Corbin-Pacific seat on two back-to-back two hour rides and, immediately afterwards, was stricken was a severe case of priapism (a.k.a. "a persistent, lasting erection") allegedly caused by "the ridge-like seat on his motorcycle, negligently designed, manufactured and/or installed by [the] defendants."
He took the ride in question on May 1, 2010 and has had the painful condition ever since.
The suit argues that Wolf "is now unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish." He is suing for personal injury, lost wages, product liability and emotional distress.
Automotive news blog Rushlane reports:
This is not the first time motorcycle riding has been linked to such problems. However, in most cases it has been seen that there may be a direct link between motorbike seat design and problems regarding infertility and impotency. Vibrations caused by the bike coupled with configurations of the seat are said to be the crux of the matter.
"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," the Michigan Institute of Urology's Dr. Michael Lutz told CBS Detroit. "Not only in men, but women can also get numbness in that region if they’re compressing those nervous structures to that region of the body."
Take a look at a video report on Wolf's case below: