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Adjusters Evaluating Florida Sinkhole Damage, 5 Homes Still Evacuated

Cleanup efforts at the site of a sinkhole that swallowed two Florida homes and jeopardized a third house will begin in earnest on Wednesday, as county officials, geologists and insurance adjusters begin the process of figuring out what to do …

In Odd Weather Twist, Rain Sparks Wildfire in California

Forest fires are picking up once again in California. The cause this time: rain and snow. Really, rain and snow? OK, perhaps not exclusively, but yes, as counterintuitive as it would seem, the weeks of precipitation that ended the state’s …

Lloyd’s: Global Cyber Attack Could Cost $121.4B

A global cyber attack could result in damages of as much as $121.4 billion in an extreme event, comparable to economic losses caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Lloyd’s of London said in a report. Average losses from a scenario …

Minnesota Driver Claims Tesla Autopilot Caused Car Crash

Tesla Inc. shares dropped Monday after a Minnesota man claimed his vehicle suddenly accelerated after he engaged the car’s driver-assistance system and crashed into a marsh. Dave Clark, 58, told police the 2016 vehicle left the roadway after he activated …

Where There’s Vapor: Electronic Cigarettes and Their Risks

Some may have noticed that many “no smoking” signs now include “no e-cigarettes.” A new trend, e-cigarettes are small devices that often look like conventional cigarettes. But that’s not smoke people are exhaling—it’s vapor. E-cigarettes, also known as “vapes,” have …

Farmworker Safety Concerns Raised After Manure Pond Deaths

It was still dark the morning Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera began his shift at Sunrise Organic Dairy in Boise, Idaho. It was mid-February 2016. A winter heat wave had melted snow and ice overnight, flooding part of the rural Jerome County farm. …

What Value-Based Contracting Means to the Workers’ Comp Industry

Value-based contracting (VBC) widely used in the healthcare system is now a hot topic in the workers’ comp industry, according to a Coventry whitepaper released earlier this year. Though widely discussed among industry stakeholders, a common definition for the practice …

Jumbo Tanker Debate Continues as Wildfires Rage in West

A giant aircraft that can fly high above oceans on intercontinental flights instead jets in low and slow over a flaming forest, trailing a long plume that settles on the ground and creates a wildfire-stopping barrier. The operators of the …

Jury Awards $17M to California Man Who Lost Leg in Forklift Accident

A Riverside Superior Court jury awarded Steven Meier $17 million after he had his right leg amputated below the knee due to being run over by a forklift in October 2013. Meier, a security guard employed by Securitas Security Services, …

Three Dead in Fire at Honolulu High-Rise With No Sprinklers

At least three people died and 12 were injured Friday in a fire at a Honolulu high-rise that was not equipped with sprinklers, authorities said, and hundreds fled the giant condominium complex as smoke billowed from the upper floors. The …

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