Researchers: Humans Responsible For Majority Of US Wildfires

People sparked most US wildfires in recent decades, causing longer fire seasons and increasing the amount of scorched earth, according to a new study published Monday. Researchers found that humans caused 84 percent -- or four out of five -- of the total 1.5 million wildfires studied between 1992 and 2012.



In addition, human actions tripled the length of the fire season during those two decades and were responsible for 44 percent of the total acreage burned, researchers reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
February 28, 2017 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Carrier Expands Recall Of Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps

United Technologies Corp’s (UTX.N) Carrier unit expanded a recall of some air conditioners and heat pumps as their power cord plugs can overheat, posing a fire risk, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday.
February 24, 2017 Liability Life & Health Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Sargento, MDS Foods Expand Listeria-Contaminated Cheese Recalls

The possible listeria contamination affecting a number of cheese brands continues to grow, as Sargento and MDS Foods announced over the weekend the recall of more than a dozen additional products that may have come into contact with the listeria-tainted cheeses from supplier Deutsch Kase Haus.
February 22, 2017 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

SodaStream Recalls 51,000 Bottles Because They Might Explode

Your greatest SodaStream fears have been realized: tens of thousands of SodaStream’s plastic bottles may not be able to withstand quite as much pressure as the company thought, causing the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a recall because they pose an injury risk to carbonation-happy consumers.
February 22, 2017 Liability Life & Health Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Interesting Data: Most Excessively Common Injuries By State

It may not come as a surprise that bruises and open wounds are the most common injuries in every state across America — with the one exception of Colorado, where you’re more likely to have be injured by a ‘fall’. But did you know that ‘over-exertion’ is disproportionately common in North Dakota, and a ‘near-drowning’ experience six-times more likely in Hawaii?
February 15, 2017 Liability Workers' Compensation Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Possible Listeria Contamination Leads To Sargento Cheese, Taylor Farms Salad Recalls

Cheese is delicious. Salad with cheese is also delicious. But Listeria is not. For that reason, Sargento has recalled seven prepackaged cheese products and Taylor Farms has recalled 6,630 pounds of pork and chicken salad products that use the affected cheese.
February 13, 2017 Life & Health Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Popular Chewing Tobacco Brands Recalled Over Metal Fragments

Putting smokeless tobacco in your mouth is one thing, putting smokeless tobacco containing metal fragments in your mouth is another. After receiving several reports of customers finding metal objects in their tobacco cans, tobacco giant Altria is recalling several of its most popular brands.
February 2, 2017 Life & Health Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Five Best Practices To Ensure The Injured Worker Comes First

Putting the injured worker first is key to the “advocacy-based claims model,” which puts the worker at the center of all activity. “It focuses on improving the injured worker’s experience. Until now, most employers have focused on corporate outcomes.
February 1, 2017 Workers' Compensation Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Property/Casualty Insurer Profitability Slides

The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry in 2016 will likely post an underwriting loss for the first time in four years due to higher catastrophe losses, competitive market conditions and auto liability challenges, A.M. Best Co. Inc. said Monday.
January 31, 2017 Property Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Two Issues Prompt Recalls Of Nearly 600K Volkswagen Vehicles

German carmaker Volkswagen will recall nearly 600,000 vehicles in the United States, most of them its premium Audi brand, over defects that could lead to fires or airbag malfunctions.
January 30, 2017 Auto Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Ford Recalls F-150 For Instrument Cluster, Focus For Chassis Integrity Issues

Ford just issued two new recalls, covering two wildly different vehicle segments. In fact, these two recalls exist on opposite ends of a number of spectrums.
January 27, 2017 Auto Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

Marijuana Insurance Industry Is Taking Off Like Wildfire

This emerging market is rapidly growing strength throughout the United States with legalized cannabis. The marijuana insurance industry has exploded since certain forms and uses of medicinal cannabis received approval.
January 26, 2017 Excess & Surplus Lines Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

When Cars Fight Back Against Thieves

Every 45 seconds, a car is stolen in the U.S., for a total value of $4.9 billion in stolen vehicles during 2015. And as vehicles have become more sophisticated, they’ve often inadvertently been left exposed to car theft in new ways.
January 18, 2017 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

U.S. Roads Keep Getting More Dangerous

New government estimates project that for the second straight year, the United States will see the largest leap in motor vehicle fatalities in 50 years. In the first nine months of 2016, the Department of Transportation estimates that 27,875 people died in motor vehicle crashes.
January 18, 2017 Auto Liability Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California

NICB Warns Against Warming Up Unoccupied, Unlocked Vehicles

As frigid temperatures and wintry blasts have hit a large section of the nation, drivers are increasingly “puffing”—warming up their parked vehicles before heading out on the road. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) warns that leaving an unlocked car running with the keys or fob inside can lead to two unwanted scenarios.
January 17, 2017 Auto Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California
SOS Ladder AssistMid-America Catastrophe ServicesAspen Claims ServiceHouston Auto AppraisersU.S. Forensic