West News

California Lawmakers Call for Stricter Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles

California lawmakers and labor unions rallied to call for laws to not allow autonomous trucks without human drivers, amid rising safety concerns after accidents involving self-driving taxis from General Motors and Alphabet. A robotaxi from Alphabet’s GOOGL.OWaymo was torched by …

Nevada Jury Awards $130M to 5 People With Liver Damage After Drinking Bottled Water

A Nevada jury awarded about $130 million in damages in a lawsuit filed by five people who suffered liver damage after drinking bottled water marketed by a Las Vegas-based company before the product was recalled from store shelves in 2021. …

People Moves: Burnham Benefits Names Foderaro Managing Director; Mercury Insurance Names Zhang Chief Data Analytics Officer

Burnham Benefits Names Foderaro Managing Director Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, California, named William Foderaro as managing director. Foderaro has more than 20 years of experience in the employee benefits industry. He was most recently managing director at …

Father in Gender-Reveal That Sparked Fatal 2020 California Wildfire Pleads Guilty

A man whose family’s gender reveal photo shoot sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter in 2020 has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said. The El Dorado Fire erupted on Sept. 5, 2020, when Refugio Jimenez Jr. …

Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Struck Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the world’s largest active volcano on Friday — Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii — knocking items off shelves and cutting power in a nearby town but not immediately prompting reports of serious …

Prime Insurance Avoids $60M Judgment in Liposuction Death Case in Georgia

Prime Insurance Co. is not liable for $60 million in damages after two patients died following liposuction at a Georgia clinic, thanks in part to the clear wording of the insurance policy and timely action by the insurer, a federal …

People Moves: BenefitMall Adds Perea to Northern California Team

BenefitMall named Carmen Perea as sales executive for Northern California. Perea has more than two decades of industry experience. Before joining BenefitMall in December 2023, Carmen worked as an account executive at Dickerson Insurance Services, An Alera Group Company, and …

APCIA Urging No to Utah’s HB 144 Bill on Right of Way

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association wants Utah senators to vote no on HB 144, a bill the APCIA says is confusing and could be interpreted as a drivers’ right of way on a green light is absolute. “Utah senators …

Venbrook in California Expands Student Insurance

Venbrook Group LLC and Student Insurance announced the expansion of their accident coverage program for student-athletes attending universities in California. The Student Athlete Insurance Network is a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross established in 1993, supplying coverage for all students …

AM Best Says Losses from California Storms Largely Uninsured, Underinsured

The economic losses from the latest round of California storms will be significant, with many of these losses may not be insured because only 2% of California residents have purchased flood insurance, David Blades, associate director, industry research and analytics, …

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