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

Road Debris Contributes to More than 50,000 Crashes a Year

Between 2011 and 2014, road debris caused more than 50,000 car accidents in the U.S. each year, according to a report released this summer by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Because the figure is based on police-reported incidents, it …

Council Bluffs Speeds Levee Improvement to Beat Deadline

Improvements to the Council Bluffs, Iowa, levee system continue step-by-step as city officials keep hoping it’s fast enough to beat federal government action that could cost homeowners a boatload of cash in flood insurance. This week, the city council approved …

Memory Devices Can Withstand Substantial Damage in Mass Transit Accidents

While investigating mass transit accidents, especially in air travel, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials often rely on digital clues left behind in flash memories of any and all electronic devices—both personal and professional—at a crash site. With the physical …

Texas Hot Air Balloon Pilot on More Than 10 Meds Before Fatal Flight

The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Texas in July, killing 16 people, was taking medications that should have precluded him from flying, medical experts testified at a federal hearing on Friday. Experts also testified that Alfred …

Flood Restoration Company Sues West Virginia Governor-Elect

West Virginia Gov.-elect Jim Justice’s businesses are being sued by a flood restoration company for unpaid bills, after cleanup crews restored parts of the Greenbrier following flooding that hit parts of the state in late June. Attorneys for BMS CAT, …

Fuel Breaks Proposed in 3 States to Limit Rangeland Wildfires

A proposed fuel break system in southwest Idaho, southeast Oregon and northern Nevada will limit the size of destructive rangeland wildfires and protect habitat for sage grouse, say officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The agency on Tuesday …

Takata Airbag Recall of 42M Cars Needs to Move More Quickly

The U.S. government is trying to get automakers to move faster to fix 42 million vehicles that are being recalled because of potentially deadly Takata airbag inflators. Expressing renewed concern about the pace of the recall, which is the largest …

Business News: MAPFRE, Safety National, GEICO

MAPFRE Insurance Launches Program To Help Insureds Restore Damaged Homes As part of an ongoing effort to better serve its policyholders, MAPFRE Insurance, a Mass.-based provider of home and auto insurance, has launched the MAPFRE Select Home Restoration Program. The …

People News: CSAA, Swiss Re, State Auto

CSAA Insurance Group Appoints Huebner Chief Risk Officer CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, announced the appointment of Jeff Huebner as the company’s new chief risk officer. In his new role, Huebner will be responsible for managing all aspects of …

College Disaster Prep Officials Prepare for the Unexpected

When Jefferson Community College was making plans to build its first residence hall, there was one must-have for President Carole McCoy: generators for backup if the power went out. With her campus in Watertown, New York in the bulls-eye of …