Motorcyclist Killed in Biketoberfest Crash
A woman was killed at the Biketoberfest motorcycle rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday, after a driver turned in front of three motorcycles attending the event. All three motorcycles struck the vehicle, whose driver, 27-year-old Joshua Baldes, then fled the scene, officials said. The woman killed, 22-year-old Grace Scullion, was four weeks pregnant. The […]
Nursing Home Resident, 81, Bludgeons Roommate, 94
An 81-year-old California nursing home resident bludgeoned his 94-year-old roommate to death with a clothes rod from his closet, police said. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrested William McDougall, who may be facing a murder charge. The assault occurred at around 11:20 p.m. Friday night, when McDougall beat his roommate, 94-year-old Manh Ban Nguyen, to […]
Texting Bans Do Not Reduce Crashes, Study Says
A recent Highway Loss Data Institute study found that texting-related crashes were not reduced in states that passed laws banning texting while driving. Rather, the texting bans are associated with an increase in the number of insurance claims filed for collision damage in vehicle crashes in the months after the laws were passed, according to […]
NHTSA: Traffic Deaths at 60-Year Low
Although road travel is on the rise in the U.S., the number of traffic deaths and injuries in 2009 were the lowest on record since 1950, according to a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) report. Fatality and injury data released this week by the Department of Transportation, show that there were 33,808 U.S. highway […]
Chemical Company To Appeal “Popcorn Lung” Verdict
An Illinois company that manufactures popcorn butter flavoring has announced it intends to appeal a $30.4 million verdict awarded against it last month to a plant worker whose lung was damaged after prolonged exposure to an ingredient found in microwave popcorn. Gerardo Solis, 45, claimed in the lawsuit that he contracted what is known as […]
Florida Children Exposed to Toxic Mercury
Children in a Margate, Florida, neighborhood were exposed to mercury left in a resident’s garage, police said. Hubert Jean and his girlfriend discovered the metallic liquid while cleaning out the garage and allowed children to play with it after pouring it in their driveway. Jean has claimed that he had no idea what the substance […]
Ohio Urges EPA to Approve Bed Bug Pesticide
Ohio state health officials are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to approve a commercial agricultural pesticide for home use against bed bugs, but EPA says it is too harmful to children. According to state officials, the pesticide Propoxur is safer than other dangerous chemicals homeowners have been using to kill the unwanted household pests. “We’re […]
Four Motorcyclists Dead in Suspected Drunk Driving Crash
Four motorcyclists were killed in a suspected drunk driving crash in Iowa this week. The crash occurred only minutes after dispatchers received reports that a pickup truck was driving erratically and weaving in and out of traffic, police officials said. According to news reports, the motorcyclists were on their way home after attending the annual […]
Police Officer Charged with Drunk Driving in Fatal Crash
A police officer in Indiana was charged with drunk driving on Wednesday after the squad car he was driving crashed into two motorcycles, killing one motorcyclist and seriously injuring two others. According to police officials, Officer David Bisard’s blood-alcohol content was 0.19 almost two hours after Friday’s crash, which is more than double the legal […]
Judges Want Jurors to Log Offline
When a curious juror used Google and looked up information about a Fulton County rape case last month, a seemingly innocent misstep resulted in a mistrial. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance Russell fined the juror $500 for violating jury instructions. She had warned jurors at the outset not to perform independent research about the […]