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Archive | March, 2014

Worker’s Comp, Opioid Abuse and Small Businesses

March 28, 2014

DrugsDollars-9402656-lo

You may have heard this following fact and assumed that it was a lie: More than half of drug overdose deaths involve prescription drugs, and opioid-related deaths now exceed deaths involving heroin or cocaine—combined.

It’s not a lie. It’s a fact from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, and they say it’s a growing problem. There are close to 40,000 drug overdose deaths each year, and that number has increased over the last 11 consecutive years. There are more drug overdoses than auto accident deaths in the United States each year. Continue Reading →

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California’s Latest Auto Fraud Trend: Rental Car Schemes

March 19, 2014

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If you thought that people causing fake accidents for the insurance money was the biggest fraud happening in California right now, you’d be wrong. There’s a new game in town and, according to Kraig Palmer, an investigator with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), rental car schemes are the fastest growing auto fraud trend.

Palmer reported on this trend at the Combined Claims Conference in Orange County last week, and emphasized that it was a multi-level crime, usually committed by opportunistic drug addicts and sophisticated street gangs.  Continue Reading →

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The Dangers of Texting and….Walking

March 13, 2014
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This man is walking through a park while texting. Although he may not be injured by traffic, he could trip or hit a tree or other obstacle.

We’ve posted several times in this blog about the dangers of texting and driving, but did you know that texting while walking results in more injuries per mile?

It’s crazy but it’s true, according to Dietrich Jehle, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Buffalo. The injuries from texting while walking can include bumping into walls, tripping over clutter or curbs and stepping into traffic. In cities it can be an even greater problem, as more people use public transport and walk more than in suburban or rural areas, where cars are necessary for most journeys. In London, the city placed bumpers on light posts down a busy street to prevent people from injuring themselves when they walked into them.  Continue Reading →

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Daylight Savings Time 2014: Clocks Spring Forward This Weekend!

March 7, 2014

Sun clock

Yes, it’s that time of year—time to turn the clocks forward an hour. And yes, this is the one where you get an hour LESS sleep. But it’s so we can enjoy more sunlight hours during the summer, and was conceived back in 1784 by one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.

He thought that, like some ancient civilizations, people should adjust their daily schedules according to the sun, therefore requiring fewer candles. Obviously, he hadn’t done the whole thing with the kite and the key yet, so didn’t understand that a shortage of candles wouldn’t really be a problem for most of the United States later on in history. Continue Reading →

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