Monthly Archives: <span>August 2018</span>

Injured Tourist Thought She’d Die Due to Hawaii Lava Blast

Jessica Tilton wanted to see lava flowing into the ocean off Hawaii’s Big Island but thought her sightseeing boat got too close to the explosive phenomenon. “It was too close for comfort,” the 20-year-old from Washington, Illinois, told reporters Tuesday …

Trump Links Better Gas Mileage to Increased Crash Risk for Drivers

The Trump administration says people would drive more and be exposed to increased risk if their cars get better gas mileage, an argument intended to justify freezing Obama-era toughening of fuel standards. Transportation experts dispute the arguments, contained in a …

Texas Bar Linked to Mass Shooting Will Surrender Liquor License

A Dallas-area bar that served a man before he fatally shot eight people at a nearby home will give up its liquor license in a settlement with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The Local Public House in Plano will cancel …

Today is the Deadliest Day of the Year for Car Wrecks in the U.S.

It’s not Super Bowl Sunday or even New Year’s Eve that makes for the most lethal day on U.S. highways. It’s Aug. 2. Thursday is when, on average, car wrecks are likely to kill more Americans than any other day …

Why Molten Lava and Insurance Don’t Mix: Subrogating Pele and the Goddess of Fire

In the Hawaiian religion, Tūtū Pele is the goddess of fire and volcanoes and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiians believe Kilauea to be inhabited by a “family of fire gods”, one of the sisters being Pele, who is …

Wisconsin Mud Buggy Race Operators Won’t Be Held Negligent in Crash

A jury properly determined that the operators of an Eau Claire mud buggy race weren’t negligent in a wild crash that cost a spectator part of his leg, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled Tuesday. The case revolves around Shawn Wallace, …

Senate Votes for 4 Month Extension of Flood Insurance Program

The Senate voted Tuesday to extend for four months the program that provides flood insurance for nearly 5 million homeowners and business owners. The bill’s passage by an 86-12 vote averts a scenario in which people living in coastal communities …

California Workers’ Comp Changes Helping System, Division Chief Says

California’s workers’ compensation system has undergone numerous changes since the implementation of the sweeping reforms that started in 2013 with Senate Bill 863. In the last few years medical provider fraud has been addressed by subsequent new laws, a plague …

Up to 10,000 California Homes Threatened by Twin Wildfires

Twin wildfires tearing through vineyards and brushy hills threatened some 10,000 homes in Northern California Tuesday – yet another front in the seemingly endless summer of wildfires that have ravaged some of the most scenic areas of the state. The …

Alaska Firm Denies Truck Dropped Rock That Hit Car, Caused Death

A company working on road reconstruction on an Alaska highway south of Anchorage has said its gravel trucks were not responsible for the rock that hit a car and killed an 8-year-old boy inside. Noah Schwebach, of Eagle River, was …