
Buildings Damaged, Cars Engulfed by Mudflows In Southern California
Rescuers searched for a person missing in a mudslide Tuesday as big yellow tractors plowed through dark, thick sludge and pushed boulders off roads after flash floods swept dirt, rocks and trees down fire-scarred slopes, washed away cars and buried buildings in small mountain communities in Southern California.
September 15, 2022
Auto
Property
California

Measuring Up: Hailstone Size and Growing Damage Claims
Although spring storms leave quite an impression on the Arkansas imagination, the National Weather Service reports that the state typically experiences a secondary severe weather season in the fall or early winter -- two years out of every three.
September 13, 2022
Auto
Property
Arkansas

Tailgate Gone Wrong: Vehicles Burn in Stadium Lot During Miami Dolphins Game
Fire units responded to the parking lot outside Hard Rock Stadium after multiple vehicles caught on fire Sunday afternoon. The smoke could be seen from inside the stadium during the first half of the Miami Dolphins season opening game against the New England Patriots.
September 12, 2022
Auto
Subrogation
Florida

Luxury Vehicles Destroyed in Car Carrier Crash, Fire on I-95
Interstate 95 between Four Oaks and Benson was shut down for several hours on Sunday night after a blown tire caused a truck hauling expensive vehicles to crash. The driver said he was hauling privately-owned, expensive motor vehicles from New York City to Miami.
All were destroyed by a raging fire. Firefighters who responded to the scene said that tires and batteries were blowing up "like 4th of July fireworks."
The owner-operator of the truck said he had just checked all of his tires at a fuel stop in southern Virginia, but heard what sounded like an explosion behind him before the fire erupted.
He attempted to extinguish the flames at first, but eventually had to flee from the scene when the fire became too large.
The driver, who did not give his name to WRAL News, was concerned about his clients more than for his own loss of livelihood.
September 7, 2022
Auto
Liability
Subrogation
All were destroyed by a raging fire. Firefighters who responded to the scene said that tires and batteries were blowing up "like 4th of July fireworks."
The owner-operator of the truck said he had just checked all of his tires at a fuel stop in southern Virginia, but heard what sounded like an explosion behind him before the fire erupted.
He attempted to extinguish the flames at first, but eventually had to flee from the scene when the fire became too large.
The driver, who did not give his name to WRAL News, was concerned about his clients more than for his own loss of livelihood.

GM Hood Latches, Ford Rearview Cameras, Rivian Seat Belts Subjects of Recalls
General Motors, Ford, and Rivian have launched recall campaigns that affect some 400,000 vehicles, according to the OEM’s filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
September 2, 2022
Auto
Subrogation

TikTok Challenge Sparks Car Thefts and Class-action Against Kia, Hyundai
Amidst a rapid proliferation of social-media posts offering people tips on how to easily steal a Kia or Hyundai automobile, two Iowans have filed a class-action lawsuit against the car makers. Ann Brady of Polk County and Leah Price of Decatur County are suing Kia America, Inc., Hyundai Motor America, and Hyundai Kia America Technical Center.
September 2, 2022
Auto
Litigation
Iowa

Ludicrous: AXA Staged Tesla Battery Fire Without The Battery
AXA staged a public crash test of a Tesla to demonstrate the risk of a battery fire, but there was no battery in the vehicle. In a video shared by AXA, a Tesla Model S is seen scraping over a ramp before overturning, hitting the ground and catching fire.
September 1, 2022
Auto

Marina Boat Storage Subrogation: Navigating Storage Agreement Exculpatory Clauses
On Friday, August 19, a huge fire ripped through the historic and family-owned Mattapoisett Boatyard in southern Massachusetts, a short distance south of MWL’s Boston office. The fire destroyed five buildings, three dozen cars, and countless expensive boats.
September 1, 2022
Auto
Marine
Subrogation
Massachusetts

Judge Strikes Down State Ban on Credit-based Insurance Scores
A Washington state judge has struck down a state rule banning the use of credit-based insurance scores. On Monday, Judge Indu Thomas rendered a final order declaring that Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler exceeded his authority when he issued a permanent rule prohibiting the use of credit-based insurance scores.
August 31, 2022
Auto
Legislation & Regulation
Liability
Property
Washington

IIHS: Most Cars’ Pedestrian Safety Systems Fail at Night
One of the ways automakers are addressing the surging numbers of pedestrian fatalities is with pedestrian automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that are designed to detect anyone in your car’s path and stop your car before hitting them.
August 31, 2022
Auto

USAA Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Over ACV Payments
A settlement has been reached in a Mississippi class action suit accusing USAA of failing to pay the full actual cash value (ACV) of totaled vehicles, just days after a judge rejected the carrier’s motion to dismiss the suit.
August 30, 2022
Auto
Litigation
Mississippi

The Soaring Cost of Insurance Fraud
While we all know that insurance fraud is a massive problem, we now know just how massive: more than $300 billion-a-year massive, just in the U.S. That figure comes from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, whose estimate would mean that fraud costs each person in the U.S. some $930 a year and the average family some $3,750.
August 30, 2022
Auto
Fraud
Life & Health
Property
Technology

IRC Releases State Auto Insurance Affordability Rankings
Louisiana, Florida, and Michigan are the three least affordable states for personal auto insurance, according to a new report by the Insurance Research Council (IRC). The three most affordable states, IRC finds, are Hawaii, New Hampshire, and North Dakota.
August 29, 2022
Auto
Insurance Industry
Florida
Louisiana
Michigan

New Jersey City Achieved Zero Traffic Deaths With Quick, High Impact Ideas
In January 2019, Sarah Risser was in the passenger seat as her son, Henry Zietlow, drove them from Minnesota to Michigan for a ski trip. They were on a Wisconsin highway when an oncoming pickup towing too much weight veered into their lane.
August 26, 2022
Auto
Liability
New Jersey

Direct Repair Shop Owner Charged With Insurance Fraud
The owner of the Chalfont Collision Center faces third-degree felony charges for allegedly submitting nearly 300 false insurance claims over several years to four insurance companies and pocketing more than $426,000 in payouts.
August 26, 2022
Auto
Fraud
Pennsylvania



