Medal of Honor Recipient Sues Defense Contractor for Defamation

Dakota Meyer, who saved 36 comrades during an ambush in Afghanistan, is suing his former employer for allegedly calling him mentally unstable and suggesting he had a drinking problem, thereby costing him a job.  Read more.

Study: Many Malpractice Suits From Failure to Notify Patients of Test Results

The Washington Post reported that a new "study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology found that annual medical malpractice payouts for communication breakdowns, including failing to share test results, more than quadrupled nationally between 1991 and 2010, to $91 million." In order to reach this conclusion, researchers analyzed "medical malpractice claims from 425 hospitals and 52,000 providers." They found that "of the 306 cases in which test results were specifically cited as a factor in a malpractice case, the most common problem -- it occurred almost half the time -- was that the patient didn't receive the test results." Failure to notify clinicians of test results was also another major problem.

Quiet Hybrids Are More Dangerous for Pedestrians

"Hybrid cars are safer -- or more dangerous -- depending on whether you are behind the wheel or walking across a street, according to a study released Thursday." Research from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows that "occupants in hybrid vehicles suffer fewer injuries in crashes than those who are involved in accidents in conventional cars." Yet, "the same study also found that hybrids, which tend to be quieter -- cause more pedestrian accidents than their nonhybrid counterparts."  Read more.

IIHS Says Hybrids Safer Due to Extra Battery Weight

"People who invest in hybrid cars are significantly less likely to be injured in an accident because their heavy batteries make the vehicles safer than traditional cars, according to an insurance industry report released Thursday." Typically, hybrids are "10 percent heavier than a traditional car of the same size, and the extra heft reduces the odds of being hurt in a crash by 25 percent, the report says." The data were released by the Highway Loss Data Institute, "an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety." Read more.

CT Company Cited by OSHA for Numerous Safety Violations

"A Pomfret cable manufacturer faces $177,000 in fines for more than two dozen workplace safety violations -- including a repeat violation for inadequate machine safeguarding, according to federal authorities." OSHA says that "Loos & Co. was cited for 29 alleged violations for electrical, chemical, mechanical, fire and exit hazards at its plant." Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director in Hartford stated that the violations "expose employees to the hazards of electrocution, fire, crushing injuries, being caught in moving or unexpectedly energized machinery, hearing loss and being unable to exit the building swiftly in the event of fire or other emergency." Read more.