Monthly Archives: <span>June 2016</span>

Indiana Mom Wants Mandatory Helmet Law After Daughter’s ATV Death

The mother of an Indiana girl who died in an all-terrain vehicle crash has started a nonprofit foundation in partnership with state lawmakers to draft a helmet law and mandatory safety education for children who ride ATVs. Ashlee Bruggenschmidt’s 11-year-old …

Auto Burglaries an Epidemic in San Francisco

Across the street from San Francisco’s main jail, business is booming at Auto Glass Now where more than a dozen motorists show up on an average day to replace windows broken by thieves. “It’s been insane,” said Julio Lara, the …

Four Years Later, Louisiana Sinkhole Stable

A massive sinkhole that went viral in 2013 swallowing trees in Assumption Parish, La., and forced more than 300 residents from their homes has quieted down as officials slowly allow residents to come home. The sinkhole, located in Bayou Corne …

Tackling First Notice of Loss Claims Assignments With Technology

Assigning claims upon receipt of the first notice of loss (FNOL) can be a cumbersome process. Evaluating an adjuster’s file load, availability and appropriate state licensing can be time consuming and may delay initial contact with the claimant or policyholder. …

University of Wisconsin Crash Study Aims to Make Roads Safer

It was an early-August evening in rural Wisconsin. An SUV traveling north along a two-lane road veered over the center line. Before landing in a ditch, the car hit a light pole, speed-limit sign and a 13-year-old pedestrian, who died …

Companies Slow to Deploy Data, Technology to Detect Fraud: KPMG

Fraudsters are more often caught by tip-offs and complaints, management review, accidentally, suspicious superiors and internal audits than by use of technology and data analytics. According to consulting firm KPMG, North companies are not capitalizing on the use of data …

Overdoses, Falls Top Causes of Accidental Deaths Each Year

Accidents are killing more Americans each year, increasingly from overdoses and falls. A new report from the National Safety Council said that in 2014, more than 136,000 Americans died accidentally. That’s up 4.2 percent from the year before and a …

Man Made Climate Change Likely Contributed to French Floods

An international team of scientists has found that man-made climate change nearly doubled the likelihood of last month’s devastating French flooding. In a quick but not peer-reviewed analysis , the World Weather Attribution team of climate scientists used past rainfall …

U.S. Boosts Training to Identify Airline Pilots’ Mental Health Issues

U.S. regulators have increased training for the doctors who screen airline pilots so they can better spot mental health issues in the wake of last year’s suicide that killed 150 people on a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed in the French …

Supreme Court Allows Larger Damages in Intentional Patent Infringement

The U.S. Supreme Court eased the way for larger damage awards when a company intentionally copies a patented invention. Voting unanimously, the justices said a key federal appeals court had placed overly rigid limits on the ability of trial judges …