In our litigious times, it’s no surprise that a 52-year-old California woman is suing Victoria’s Secret over a thong injury.

The real question: How the heck did she hurt her eye while putting on underwear?

According to Macrida Patterson’s lawsuit, it all comes down to the decorative rhinestone heart on the waistband, connected to the fabric by tiny metal links.

This morning, Patterson told Today Show host Meredith Viera:

“I was putting on my underwear from Victoria’s Secret, and the metal popped into my eye. It happened really quickly. I was in excruciating pain. I screamed.”

Patterson, an L.A.P.D. traffic officer, suffered three cuts to her cornea in the May 2007 incident, and has yet to name a figure that she’s seeking, but it will be at least $25,000.

Of course, women wear thongs for all reasons. Some call it beachwear. Others use it to make an outrageous fashion statement -- like French TV star Omar Harfouch girlfriend at the Cannes Film Festival (see photo).

But many women, including policewoman, wear thongs simply to hide panty lines or for comfort -- and that’s one decision at least one officer regrets.

Weird News Highlights

• Couch Jumper's Revenge: Tom Cruise kills Oprah in viral video (Celebrity Stupidity);
• Babes With Bad Credit: Bank issues 6-year-old credit card (Declining Standards);
• Sticky Situation: Man glued to toilet at Wal-Mart (Potty Issues);
• Psychic Sexual Abuse: School launches abuse investigation based on a fortuneteller’s reading (Tales Out of School);
• Frozen Food Fight: California authorities are seeking a man who pelted a store clerk with a frozen burrito (Dumb Crime Du Jour);

Photo © William Wintercross/Getty Images