A 20-month erection?!

While researching motorcycles for my latest novel, I ran across the story of a California man who had a 20-month erection after riding a BMW bike.

Of course he's suing -- and he should. One thing that Viagra taught us is that an erection lasting over four hours is dangerous, 20 months had to be just painful.

A California man has sued BMW North America and a motorcycle-seat maker claiming that a four-hour round-trip ride on his 1993 BMW bike with a "ridge-like" seat gave him "a severe case of priapism (a persistent, lasting erection)" that's lasted 20 months and counting.
While there have been concerns about narrow "banana" bike seats causing loss of feeling in that area -- for men and women -- this is the first report we've seen of way too much.

People joke about priapism, but it is no joke. After a man has reached his climax and his penis doesn't return to it's "resting" or flaccid state, it isn't useful and it throbs like a migraine headache.

The name comes from the Greek god Priapus a fertility god often represented with a disproportionately large and permanent erection.
 

There are oral medications to treat priapism, but if they fail then stints are used for "puncturing the glans (the distal part of the penis) into one of the cavernosa, where the old, stagnant blood is held. This causes the blood to leave the penis and return to the circulation. This procedure can be performed by a urologist at the bedside. Winter's shunts are often the first invasive technique used, especially in hematologic induced priapism, as it is relatively simple and repeatable over time."

Ouch! 

As far as the man who had the 20-month erection,"The lawsuit says [he] is “now is unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish.” "

I hope he wins.