In addition, the injured passengers have filed lawsuits against Hall, and it appears they are placing some blame on the boat’s owner, Hall’s father. The lawsuits contend Arthur King Hall acted recklessly and was negligent. He operated the boat at unsafe speeds and was intoxicated.

This was a tragic accident that could have been avoided. As long as drinking while boating is condoned, more accidents will no doubt occur. The passengers were severely injured and their lives changed. I’m betting from now on they will think twice before boarding a vessel with an intoxicated operator.

For the complete story, go here.

TriMet defends itself as best it can, and yes, the transit agency has been undergoing a top-to-bottom safety review to try to increase safety and awareness. Still, it sure seems like there is more bad news than good. A recent column by the Oregonian’s Joseph Rose illustrates one of these bad incidents. A TriMet driver got stuck in a turn in a crowded intersection. The culprit was an illegally parked vehicle that made the turn tricky. With assistance from a passenger, the driver successfully maneuvered the bus around the turn, and the only casualty was a parked car that was scraped five times in the process. The scraped car was legally parked. The driver was aware she hit the car but did not leave a note or wait for authorities; instead, she continued on her route.

The driver allegedly reported the incident to TriMet, and a TriMet truck later appeared at the intersection to investigate. By then, however, the scraped car was gone. Also, the driver supposedly said she was unsure she had hit a car, but witnesses saw her get off the bus and look at the damaged vehicle before getting back on the bus and driving away.

TriMet policy states that drivers cannot make turns around illegally parked cars without approval. Drivers must also report any and all scrapes or accidents, and they must remain at the site until released by a supervisor or dispatcher. This particular driver did not seem to follow the rules. Why is TriMet bothering to investigate its safety procedures and implement new rules when some bus drivers don’t seem to care about existing policies and procedures?

The accident happened late at night as the bus made an illegal left turn. The bus entered a crosswalk and ran over five pedestrians, killing two. Though a grand jury found driver Day innocent of criminal wrongdoing, it did cite her for six traffic violations. Day has not returned to work at TriMet since the accident and has been receiving workers’ compensation. The agency has been analyzing its safety procedures since the accident and has implemented a number of changes to increase safety.

Families have up to a year to file a tort claim notifying their intent to file for wrongful death and up to six months to sue for damages for injuries. For more information, see this article from the Oregonian.

The voluntary recall is the first for Valley Meat Co., which has been in business for some 50 years. The brands in the recall include Butcher’s Cut, RPQ, Hearst, IQF, and Bigger Valley. For a full listing of the recalled products, see the recall information here. The beef products were sold at a number of grocery stores, including Safeway and Vons. For more on this story, see this Los Angeles Times article.

The majority of the illnesses were in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, but people from all parts of the country were affected. People started getting sick in April, with illnesses continuing through late July. The outbreak involved two different and rare strains of salmonella: Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon. Investigators suspect Taco Bell locations received tainted lettuce and/or tomatoes.

Though the Nap Nanny has a harness, infants can sometimes hang over the side, which can be dangerous, especially if the recliner is placed inside a crib or something similar. Anyone with a first-generation Nap Nanny (ones that do not come equipped with D-rings) should stop using the recliner and contact Baby Matters for a replacement. Those with the D-ring-equipped Nap Nanny should review instructions on how to properly use the harness.

For more information, see this article.

The CPSC became aware of a strangulation hazard associated with the tents. The tent is made of a white fabric mesh and fits over playards. It is supposed to keep out insects and other objects or critters and also prevent the child from climbing out. If the clips that attach the tent to the top of the playard are removed or break, however, the child inside can get caught between the frame of the playard and the metal base of the tent and strangle.

If you have one of these portable tents, stop using it and contact Tots in Mind for replacement clips.

Be safe!

TriMet policy has been that drivers can keep cell phones and other devices such as MP3 players and headsets with them while driving but that they must store the items and not use them while driving. This week the new head of TriMet, Neil McFarlane, announced a change to this policy. Drivers must now keep these devices turned off and stored away.

Really, why allow drivers to keep the cell phones turned on if they aren’t supposed to use them while driving? Reports indicate the old policy wasn’t working all that well, anyway; the Oregonian reported that over a two-year period TriMet had received more than 530 complaints about drivers using cell phones, including talking and texting, while driving. Let’s hope the drivers follow the new policy and keep those devices turned off and out of sight.

The latest recall affects consumers in ten countries. Affected manufacturers include Million Dollar Baby, Evenflo, Delta Enterprise, Child Craft, Simmons, Jardine, Bona Vita, and Babi Italia. The cumulative number of cribs affected by all the drop-side crib recalls is somewhere around nine million. More than 250 crib owners reported malfunctioning sides on their cribs, causing infants to become trapped in the gap between the sides or to fall out of the crib completely. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is hoping to ban the drop-side design by the end of 2010.

For more information on this recall, see this article from the Chicago Tribune.

Salmonella contamination also appears to have affected nearly 100 customers of Subway restaurants in central Illinois. The outbreak was linked to 47 Subway locations in 28 counties. The strain was the uncommon Salmonella Hvinttingfoss. Though the source has yet to be identified, Salmonella is often linked to raw vegetables, so the restaurant chain voluntarily stopped serving some items, including lettuce, tomatoes, and green peppers.

It’s really hard to know what to eat and what not to eat. Just be as careful as you can!