Insurance Issues Facing Chinese Drywall Homeowners

Many victims of Chinese drywall are being denied claims filed on their homeowners’ insurance. This is what happened to Lucille Bourdon, who built a house in Covington in 2006 after losing her former home to hurricane Katrina. Bourdon’s Covington home presents all the characteristics of tainted Chinese drywall, such as blackened silverware and mirrors, air conditioning failure, hot water tank split, problems with water faucets, as well as health issues like fatigue. Despite all those deficiencies, her insurance company still denied the claim.

While Bourdon is planning on ways to repair her house, she is forced to live in a trailer on her property.

If you suspect your home was built with tainted Chinese drywall, please call 1-800-750-7839, or email paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation.

$18M Awarded To Victim In 2008 Highway Truck Crash

Mark Tiburzi, severly injured after a 2008 truck crash, was awarded $18 million by the federal magistrate judge. Since the accident, Tiburzi has been under constant care and will remain so for the rest of his life. He will never regain the ability to walk nor talk.

The crash occurred on an interstate highway as the truck driver got distracted by reaching for his cell phone, causing a horrible wreck injuring fourteen people and killing three. The truck driver was blamed for the accident, as well as his trucking firm, who must now cover all damages for Tiburzi’s injuries.

$30M Awarded To Teenager In 2006 Truck Accident

In August 2006, 16-year old Ethan Bryant was badly injured in a crash in which his car was hit by a truck unable to stop at an intersection. While his friend sitting in the passenger seat was killed at the scene of the accident, Ethan went into an eight-month coma and now suffers from multiple disorders. The gravel truck, unable to break at the intersection’s red traffic light, was overloaded by approximately 20,000 pounds. The jury found the paving company that commissioned the truck driver 70 percent responsible for the crash, and in the end awarded Ethan Bryant and his parents $30 million.

ABC Local News Video on Chinese Drywall

ABC Local News - Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 7:38 PM

CPSC investigating concerns related to defective drywall from China

Click on the link below to watch the video coverage.

Chinese drywall making homeowners sick

Chinese Drywall Issues Cause More And More Homeowners To Be Concerned

Many Florida homeowners are becoming more concerned about the risks of having tainted Chinese drywall in their homes. With Chinese drywall incidents making headlines everyday, people are getting more suspicious. Most, however, do not exactly know how to detect bad drywall imported from China.

Ryan Wiggins, a spokeswoman for the Florida Attorney General’s Office, gives pointers on how to adequately detect affected Chinese drywall.

To read those tips, as well as the full story, click here.

Study On Increase In Motorcycle Deaths

The rising number of accidents on US roads involving motorcycles has led The Federal Highway Administration to examine the possible causes of this problem. In 2008, 5,300 motorcyclists were killed and 96,000 were injured. The study found that there was a 150 percent increase in deaths from motorcycle crashes from 1998 to 2008. Hundreds of such accidents will be examined according to several factors, such as driver experience as well as environmental and road conditions.

The main purpose of this study is to determine the causes of motorcycle crashes in order to reduce their occurence and perhaps even their harm.

Click here to read the full story.

Computers In Trucks Could Distract Drivers

Many trucks are equipped with computers or other devices that serve multi purposes, such as receiving new orders, being tracked via satellite, communicating with dispatchers and getting directions. Those devices are very useful for truck drivers, and, according to the trucking industry, are not risky to use. Truckers believe that having such devices in their cabs is far less risky than writing text messages with a cellphone for example. However, this opinion is not shared by some safety advocates, who argue that computers can be very dangerous for both truckers and people in other vehicles on the road.

Either way, both cellphones and computers are quite risky to use, according to Richard J. Hanowski, director of the Center for Truck and Bus Safety at the Virginia institute.

Click here to read the full story.

Heated Senate Meeting Regarding Trucking Safety

On Wednesday, members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee convened in a hearing regarding trucking safety. Most members expressed their disapproval towards Anne Ferro, nominated by President Obama last June to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Her record as the president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association makes her seem rather ineligible to lead this agency. Senator Frank Lautenberg describes the agency’s administration as “in dire need of reform” and doesn’t necessarily believe Ms. Ferro to be the best person in charge of maintaining truck safety on roads in the US. Senator Lautenberg stressed the importance, during the conference, of devices to be installed in trucks that would record how long drivers are driving for and whether they exceed the authorized limit, in order to avoid any risk of fatigue. Ms. Ferro however did not fully commit to the idea, and only agreed to an initial research assessment.

Click here to read the full story.

Toyota Acceleration Complaints Started Two Years Ago

Toyota Motor has apparently been aware of the floor mat problem for over two years. In 2007, the company received five complaints of unintended acceleration, and a recall was issued a few months later on all-weather floor mats. Researchers investigating the problem stated in a 2008 report that the way the gas pedal was designed made it relatively easy for it to get stuck to the rubber of the floor mat.

To read the full story, click here.