This blog presents Metropolitan Engineering Consulting & Forensics (MEC&F) claim management and claim investigation analyses of some of the typical claims we handle
SOLON SPRINGS, WI (KDAL) - A man was hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation as the result of a explosion and fire at a cabin east of Solon Springs on Friday.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the incident was reported just after noon on the Lake of the Woods Loop Road.
A neighbor called 911 after a loud explosion that shook her home and seeing smoke and flames coming from the cabin next door.
Firefighters from several area fire departments responded and found flames shooting several hundred feet into the air from a propane tank that was just filled that morning.
The cabin ended up a total loss and several nearby structures were also damaged by the heat.
The 85-year old cabin owner evacuated the cabin after flames forcefully shot out at him when trying to light the gas fireplace. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of burns to his hands, face and legs.
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Lake of the Woods, east of Solon Springs, WI:
One man was hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation Friday after an explosion and fire at a cabin on Lake of the Woods, east of Solon Springs, WI. He remained hospitalized in fair condition Monday, according to Essentia Health spokeswoman Maureen Talarico. The cabin was a complete loss and several nearby structures were damaged by the heat, according to a release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident was reported just after noon at 10654S Lake of the Woods Loop Road. A neighbor reported hearing a loud explosion that shook her house and seeing smoke and flames coming from the cabin next door. She also saw a vehicle rapidly leaving the driveway. She called 911 as she evacuated the area as the explosions continued.
Emergency personnel arrived on scene and observed flames periodically shooting several hundred feet into the air as propane escaped and ignited from a tank that had just been filled that morning. The explosions ceased as firefighters attacked the blaze.
Deputies located the cabin owner, Dale O'Brien, 85, of Superior, at a residence across the lake being treated by Gold Cross Paramedics. O'Brien told deputies that he was trying to start his gas fireplace when a burst of flames forcefully shot out from the fireplace insert directly at him. He said he knew he was burned and had to evacuate the cabin. He left in his vehicle and sought assistance from the first place he found somebody home. O'Brien was taken to a local hospital with burns to his hands, face and legs, as well as smoke inhalation.
Volunteer firefighters from Solon Springs, Gordon, Highland, Bennett and Lake Nebagamon responded to the fire.
SEATTLE, WA - Four boats were destroyed when a fire and explosions ripped through a Ballard marina on Sunday night. The fire broke out around 8 p.m. Sunday along the 5100 block of Shilshole Avenue Northwest. The fire sent a large cloud of black smoke into the sky, which could be seen from neighborhoods across the city. Some people close to the fire reported hearing explosions.
According to reports, the boats that were destroyed include two 50-foot boats and two smaller boats. Seattle fire marine and land crews were on the scene for several hours Sunday night monitoring the fire. The cause is still under investigation. Get free real-time news alerts from the Seattle Patch.
A video taken by a boater approaching the dock captures one of the explosions.
Image via Seattle fire department
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SEATTLE, WA -- Four boats were burned when a fire ripped through a boat house on Salmon Bay, Seattle fire officials said.
The fire broke out just before 8 p.m. in the 5100 block of Shilshole Avenue Northwest in Ballard, sending a plume of smoke visible throughout much of the Seattle area.
Video from witnesses on nearby boats showed flames shooting through the boat house amid small explosions.
"I heard a boom," said Eric Pomeroy. "You know, you hear weird stuff around here -- fires and shooting cannons, you know, boating season. And I didn't think anything of it... and then I heard commotion."
Fire officials said two 50-foot boats burned as well as two other smaller boats. People who were in the boat house escaped and no one was injured.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this point and is under investigation.
A bloody weekend for boaters in South Florida as crashes send 11 to hospital
By David J. Neal
dneal@miamiherald.com
A boat explosion on Sunday in South Miami-Dade sent four people to trauma centers, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.
Two children were taken to trauma centers by helicopter and another child and an adult by ambulance.
The cause of the explosion, which didn’t cause major damage to the boat, remains under investigation. The incident, which happened between 8:30 and 9 a.m., called over 10 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units to Black Point Marina, 24775 SW 87th Ave.
On Sunday afternoon, a personal water craft crashed into a boat, sending three people to the hospital, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS4.
“We received reports of a personal watercraft that collided with a watercraft nearby Picnic Island, which is right off 21st Street and Bayshore Drive,” said Miami Fire-Rescue’s Capt. Ignatius Carroll.
And late Saturday night, a boat crash in the Intracoastal near a Fort Lauderdale bar injured four people.
National Safe Boating Week started Saturday and runs through May 26. The National Weather Service is promoting a different safety tip each day, including wearing life jackets and having fire extinguishers on board.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue recommends that each privately owned or rented vessel do a thorough safety check before leaving the dock, spokeswoman Erika Benitez said.
Also, Benitez passed along a few boating safety tips:
▪ Vapor explosions and flashes can occur without warning.
▪ Once there’s a problem, identify the source, seek safe harbor and relay any emergency concerns via cellphone or over VHF Channel 16.
▪ Eliminate any possible sources of ignition, including electronics and anything you smoke.
▪ Open hatches to increase ventilation and allow ignitable fumes to dissipate.
▪ Have proper U.S. Coast Guard-approved safety equipment at the ready.
An explosion on this boat sent three children and one adult to a trauma center. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
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7 hospitalized after Miami boat crash, SW Miami-Dade boat explosion
7 News WHDH
MIAMI (WSVN) – It was a dangerous day on the water in South Florida, Sunday, as a boat crash and an explosion on another boat sent seven people to the hospital, including three children.
According to Miami Fire Rescue, a personal watercraft and a boat collided with several people on board off the coast of Miami, near Picnic Island, Sunday, at around 3 p.m.
Officials said the force of the impact threw the two people riding the personal watercraft into the water.
“The fire boat arrived, and they found a male and female who were the passenger and operator of a Jet Ski that were in the water, we understand, knocked unconscious as a result of the impact,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll.
Officials said one woman on the boat was also injured. “We’ve had numerous calls with collisions like this, but never had one where we had the watercraft actually hitting somebody that was on the boat,” said Carroll.
Officials said some of the the uninjured passengers on the boat jumped in the water to render aid to the personal watercraft riders before first responders arrived. “They were able to retrieve them and pull them into the boat,” said Carroll.
Paramedics rushed all three victims to Jackson Memorial Hospital in unknown condition. Officials said all three patients were conscious.
The crash happened more than five hours after an explosion on a boat in Southwest Miami-Dade, near Black Point Marina, sent three children and one adult to area hospitals.
Florida Fish and Wildlife, Miami-Dade Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene of the fire involving a 23-foot 1988 Donzi boat with seven people on board. Officials said the vessel was on the canal, about a quarter mile away from the dock, when it burst into flames.
“We hope that the kids are OK, They were badly burned,” said witness Paul LaFlur. “Mostly in the face, in the arms. The one boy, his hair was a little singed.”
Witnesses were shocked to see young burn victims being taken off the boat.
Officials believe an accelerant on board the boat caused the burn injuries. “It is believed that the engine compartment flashed due to fumes that were emanating from the engine compartment,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay.
Crews airlifted the adult and one child to Jackson Memorial Hospital, while the two other children were transported by ground to Kendall Regional Medical Center.
Officials said all four victims suffered serious burns. Their current conditions are unknown.
“I feel really bad for the kids,” said LaFlur. “You go out on a Sunday to have a nice boating day with the kids, and they get hurt.”
The fire and the crash come hours after two boats collided in Fort Lauderdale, early Sunday, along the Intracoastal Waterway. Four people were transported to Broward Health Medical Center.
Officials said the incidents provide a stark reminder to residents to take proper safety precautions when going out on the water. “We try to warn the public. Make sure that you do your vehicle safety checks,” said Lay. “Utilize the U.S. Coast Guard. They have a program available to make sure that you have all your safety components on your boats up to par.”
EAST JORDAN, MI — Four construction workers from a Gaylord company were injured, some possibly seriously, in an accident at a construction site near East Jordan Thursday.
Around 11 a.m., crews from the East Jordan Fire Department, Jordan Valley EMS, East Jordan Police Department and Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a building collapse at 06710 M-32, just south of the East Jordan city limits in South Arm Township.
The project involves a 60-foot-by-120-foot addition to the former VFW post building. It is part of a plan by Crossroads Resale shop to relocate and expand its operation from its current location in the city, Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra said.
Vondra said the accident happened as JNJ Construction, which is heading up the project, was placing trusses on top of the new stud walls when a gust of wind caused the trusses to give way.
Four construction crew members were on top of 10-foot walls when the trusses collapsed causing them to fall 10 to 12 feet and become trapped.
“A big wind gust came along, they heard some cracking, and the trusses gave out,” Vondra said. “(The workers) were trapped. They had to get them out from under the trusses. So, one of the workers cut some of the trusses up because people were trapped.”
Vondra did not know the exact injuries of the workers, but said all four men were transported to hospitals with moderate to possibly serious injuries. One victim had memory issues and all four had head trauma, officials at the scene said. A helicopter airlifted one victim to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, while the other three were transported by ambulance to Charlevoix or Petoskey hospitals.
The incident is being treated as a construction accident and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be pursuing an investigation.
A fiery crash involving a fuel tanker Monday morning left one person dead, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Around 10 a.m., officials responded to the scene in the 4800 block of Cleveland Road. Authorities said the Gaine's Oil truck from Chatham County veered off the road and hit two culverts, which caused the tanker to overturn and catch fire. ====================
The North Carolina Highway Patrol says the driver died when a fuel tanker flipped over and caught fire in a crash along Cleveland Road near Steel Bridge Road south of Clayton Monday morning.
Pictures from Chopper 11 HD showed the truck on its side in the parking lot of Elizabeth United Methodist Church.
The cab of the truck had burned out and firefighters had used foam to contain the blaze.
The truck landed on its side in a church parking lot The driver has not been identified pending notification of next of kin.
A single-aisle commercial
passenger Aeromexico jet collided with a supply truck that overturned
Saturday afternoon on a service road at Los Angeles Airport, authorities
said.
Eight people were onboard the utility truck when it was
hit shortly before 2:30 p.m. on the taxiway. The right wing of the
aircraft was damaged in the crash, but none of the 146 passengers and
crew on board were hurt, LAX police said.
Eight people, six men
and four women, suffered non-life threatening injuries, although
authorities previously said one person was critically injured. The two
women had more serious injuries, but none were critical.
According to a flight radar, the plane arrived at LAX from Mexico City.
14 Arrested in Miami Assisted Living Facility Insurance Fraud Scheme
May 19, 2017
A year-long investigation led by insurance fraud investigators with the Florida Department of Financial Services has ended with 14 arrests of assisted living facility owners in the Miami area, according to a statement by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.
According to the statement, investigators uncovered an alleged fraud scheme in which an assisted living facility (ALF) in Miami intentionally misrepresented its business activities in an attempt to obtain an inadequate but cheaper insurance policy. ALF’s are long-term care residences that offer various services such as health and medicine management, transportation and meal services in an effort to support seniors and developmentally or physically disabled members of our local communities.
When an insurance policy is knowingly secured under false pretenses, the insurance carrier oftentimes reserves the right to deny claims for loss or injury, the statement says.
The company’s insurance carrier, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, first discovered the fraud following the filing of a claim for a broken pipe in 2014. During the processing of the claim, Citizens suspected that the ALF had intentionally misrepresented its business activities in an attempt to secure a cheaper, residential insurance policy rather than the required commercial policy. Citizens referred their findings to the DFS’s Bureau of Insurance Fraud.
The case ultimately initiated a larger series of investigations that took place between June 2016 and May 2017 which investigators said identified a trend of misrepresentation taking place within the ALF industry.
The Department, with support from Citizens and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, identified a total of 14 ALF operators in Miami-Dade County who allegedly defrauded their insurance carrier.
Those arrested include:
Jose Perez – Living Well, Miami
Aida Salguiro – Amor Y Esperanza Home Care, Hialeah
Gilberto Peralta – Angel’s Home, Miami
Thelma Waite-Blake – B & B Home Care Service, Miami
Guillermo Jesus Mendez – La Casita Nuestra Home II, Miami
Barbara Plaza – Cornell ALF, Miami
Jorge Pulido – La Casita Nuestra Home II, Miami
Leonel Burmudez – Bermudez Senior Care, Miami
Additionally, investigators arrested an insurance agent, Alina Fernandez, after she was found to have forged another insurance agent’s name on two fraudulent ALF insurance applications for Jorge Pulido. She was also found to have been acting without the proper license.
Fernandez was transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility and was charged with acting as an unlicensed agent, ID fraud, and organized fraud. DFS’s insurance licensing unit has revoked her license and banned her from working in the insurance industry.
The remaining 13 subjects arrested were transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility and have been charged with one count of application fraud, a third-degree felony. These cases will be prosecuted by the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office and if convicted, those arrested face up to five years in prison.
A Macon County volunteer firefighter is in critical condition after he was struck in the head by a fire hose.
According to Macon County Fire Chief Micah Kauffman, it happened around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Kauffman says firefighter Darrell Plank was responding to a house fire in a rural area.
While Plank was getting dressed, other firefighters began to set up the hose.
The hose caught a snag and hit Plank in the head knocking him to the ground.
Plank was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health where he remains in critical condition.
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MACON, Ga.-- On Sunday, volunteer firefighter Darrell Plank was in the nuero intensive care unit at the Medical Center, Navicent Health. Macon County fire chief, Micah Kauffman said Plank had undergone a surgery after an injury he sustained when he responded to a house fire on Saturday.
Kauffman said 30-year-old Plank loves his job.
"He loved fighting fire, seemed like he was an adrenaline junkie, loved to help, loved to help whoever he could," said Kauffman.
Plank is a father of five, a husband, a coach and a volunteer firefighter for both Montezuma and Macon County Fire Departments.
"He's giving of himself in an unselfish manner, knowing the risks and knowing there is no benefit other than helping a fellow human," said Kauffman.
Plank joined the Macon County Fire Department ten years ago. Captain Roy Yoder was Planks instructor when he first got started. Yoder said Plank was always fully involved when we was at work.
"He's a dedicated firefighter and had a heart to serve. You don't volunteer if you don't," said Yoder.
Yoder said he hopes to see him again because he still has more to teach Plank.
"I'm 61-years-old. The best thing an old firefighter can do for a young one is to teach him how to become an old one," he said.
Yoder and Kauffman said fire departments from all over Middle Georgia have reached out to help in anyway they can. Yoder said the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department opened up their station for the firemen visiting Plank and his family. They said they are grateful for the support.
Plank's brothers also thanked the community for the outpouring of love and prayers.
A Facebook page has been made for Plank. It is called, "Praying for Darrell." The page has posts of Plank's condition.
"The Dr said it's a good thing his fracture is as big as it is so the brain has room to swell. He said it will take a long time and he is still not out of danger. Pray that his blood pressure would stabilize its very up n down!!"
A volunteer firefighter died Thursday while on the scene of a
crash on Route 220 in Botetourt County, according to Virginia State
Police.
The Eagle Rock Fire Department responded to a
single-vehicle crash on Route 220 at Catawba Creek Road. Around 3:10
p.m., a 55-year-old fire department employee was backing up a firetruck
to block the roadway when the truck hit another fire department member.
Roger Johns, 63, of Eagle Rock was serving as a
ground guide when the truck backed into him. Johns later died at
Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation. Charges are pending.
UPDATE:
State Police is investigating a fatal crash that happened Friday in Botetourt County.
Botetourt County says a volunteer firefighter
who was responding to a crash on Thursday has died. The county could not
give out any additional information.
UPDATE:
A Botetourt County firefighter was injured while responding to a crash Friday afternoon.
A county official says crews were responding to an
emergency call, when a volunteer firefighter was injured on the scene
of the accident.
The county plans to give out more information as it becomes available.
ORIGINAL:
A crash on 220 North in Botetourt County
caused major delays Friday afternoon, according to the Virginia
Department of Transportation.
The crash happened near Catawba Creek Road.
At one point, all northbound lanes are closed. The lanes have since re-opened.
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BOTETOURT CO., Va. (WDBJ7) Botetourt County released statements Saturday after a volunteer firefighter was killed while responding to a crash Friday afternoon.
63-year-old Roger Johns, a volunteer firefighter with the Eagle Rock Fire Department, died Friday night while on the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Route 220 in Botetourt County. A 55-year-old fire department employee was backing up a firetruck, when the truck hit Johns.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his fellow volunteers who play a critical role in serving our community,” County Administrator Gary Larrowe wrote in the statement. “Our primary focus at this time is on the well-being of his family and our close-knit team of volunteer and professional firefighters.”
Botetourt County Fire & EMS also released a statement.
"In a community where neighbors help neighbors and everyone knows everybody, this accident makes a tragedy very personal for our volunteer and professional firefighters," the statement says. "This accident reminds us once again that with any call, our firefighters risk their lives in service to our community."
Family and firefighters received emergency counseling services Friday night.
Funeral arrangements haven’t been determined.
Botetourt County Fire & EMS is mourning one of its own. In a community where neighbors help neighbors and everyone knows everybody, this accident makes a tragedy very personal for our volunteer and professional firefighters. Our focus at this time is on the well-being of the firefighter’s family and our dedicated team of volunteer and professional firefighters. We are making counseling services available for what is sure to be a long and difficult healing process. This accident reminds us once again that with any call, our firefighters risk their lives in service to our community. We will celebrate the life and dedication of our brother at the appropriate time but for now we would appreciate respecting the privacy of the firefighter’s family and our volunteer and professional force so we can mourn while protecting the lives and property of Botetourt County residents. We will have no additional comment at this time.
Attorneys reached a last-minute settlement Friday morning in a civil lawsuit involving a downtown Laramie building that partially collapsed in 2015.
The case, which was set to go to trial Monday, stemmed from the June 6-7, 2015, collapse of the south wall of the Hart’s Alley building. Located at 404 S. Second St., the lot is adjacent to the former site of a Laramie Vision Clinic building that burned down in 2014.
Building owners Sean and Dolores Hart filed a complaint in December accusing three Wyoming companies — Reiman Corp., Gertsch-Baker Engineering & Design, Incorporated, and Inberg Surveying Company, Inc. — of negligence.
The companies were retained by 20/20 Ventures, the owner of the Laramie Vision Clinic building, for services related to the creation of a new structure at the former clinic building site.
In their complaint, the Harts claimed Reiman caused their building’s south wall to fail by excavating “too far down,” Gertsch-Baker was negligent in its designs and Inberg did not take adequate steps to ensure a safe excavation.
The Harts requested compensation for damages, including demolishment, debris removal and replacement and reconstruction costs, as well as loss of business income and loss of potential sale and use of the property.
Colin Simpson, an attorney representing the Harts, said he could not disclose the amount of money involved in Friday’s settlement.
“I would expect that some things are going to start happening at the lot relatively soon as far as demolition of the building and removal,” he said, adding he expected this work to begin within 30 days once the necessary paperwork is complete.
Attorneys representing the three Wyoming companies could not be reached by deadline Friday.
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Just over a year after the Laramie Vision Clinic burned down next
door, the Hart’s Alley building at 404 S. Second St. partially collapsed
at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday. A building collapsed downtown this past weekend.There were no injuries in the collapse, but Sean Hart, the owner of
Hart’s Alley, claims the company rebuilding the burned down building,
Reiman Corp., is to blame for the collapse, as evidenced by large cracks
in the shared wall between the construction site and Hart’s Alley he
noticed last week.
“I don’t think it was a little birdie that flew through the wall,”
Hart said. “It is apparent to me that the company had a backhoe or some
other heavy machinery digging into the foundation. The rear door could
no longer be opened as the rear wall had shifted and jammed it shut.”
Hart had just completed renovating his building last week from
damages received during the fire at the Laramie Vision Clinic and had
started showing the building to potential lessees.
“This past week, a new roof was put in, and I had a few people interested in signing a lease,” Hart said.
Trey Sherwood, with the Laramie Main Street Alliance, said there will
likely be no long-term business effects downtown, but there will be
short-term effects due to the closure of multiple business on the block
near Hart’s Alley. “The businesses on the block cannot be opened until a structural engineer can take a look at the buildings,” Sherwood said.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, there are three businesses entirely closed:
Undercover Bed and Spa, Prairie Rose and Hero Depot, according to a
press release from the Laramie Main Street Alliance. Five other
businesses on Second Street are only accessible from either a side or a
back door: Dodds Shoe Co, Sears, The Library, Elite Medical and SRI.
The cause of the collapse has not been determined yet, Sherwood said;
however, he added a few possibilities are being looked into.
“It is too early to tell if the fire last year was related at all,”
Sherwood said. “It could have also been reverberation from the train
tracks, or possibly rain. Currently trains going through town must slow
down as a precaution until an inspection can be completed.”
Rather than looking at it alone, Hart said the city engineering
department should inspect the building with him so he can accurately
present the damages. “I asked them to come meet me, and they said they came to look at it
without me, and saw the building permit and said there was no problem,”
Hart said. “This could have possibly been prevented if only the city
engineering department had taken the time to look at the problem and had
worked with me to see just how extensive the wall was being damaged.”
David Derragon, Laramie assistant city manager, said the city is in
an information gathering stage, and has yet to determine the cause of
the collapse. “The fire marshall and the building official with community
development are gathering information to determine a course of action,”
Derragon said. Reiman Corp. declined to comment on the collapse until the investigation is completed.
