A recent New York Times article highlights an area where Oregon and other Pacific Northwest states are leading the nation: laws and policies recognizing the growing seriousness of concussions and other brain injuries in sports. As the paper notes, “last year Washington and Oregon passed the first concussion-specific laws covering…
An Oregon state report has raised questions about the conduct of state officials prior to the death of a Eugene teenager. 15 year old Jeanette Maples was killed December 9, according to an Associated Press report republished by TV station KMTR. Her parents have been charged with aggravated murder (they…
A 50-year old man “with a history of driving under the influence” is being held by Medford police on suspicion of drunk driving. In a Southern Oregon drunk driving accident last Saturday the man allegedly injured three people, all of whom had to be hospitalized. TV station KDRV reported that…
In another sign of the speed with which distracted driving has gone from a fringe issue to center stage, the US Department of Transportation moved Tuesday to ban bus drivers and drivers of large trucks from texting while operating their vehicles, according to media reports. The measure will exist above…
Police in North Portland have reportedly arrested a man they believe was responsible for an Oregon hit-and-run accident involving a cyclist, according to a report on television station KATU’s website. The Portland cycling accident took place early Saturday evening, when a biker was struck by a moving vehicle at the…
Oregon’s Transportation Commission has decided to move up installation of a traffic signal at a dangerous Tualatin Valley Highway intersection in Aloha, following a serious Oregon traffic accident there last month. An Oregon pedestrian accident on December 20 left three young people, including a 14 year old boy, injured after…
Oregon’s new distracted driving law helped earn the state the state a ‘Green Light’ – the highest rating – in the annual report card issued by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. For 2009 the group added a ban on texting while behind the wheel to its list of recommended…
A Gresham, Oregon man this month became the second consumer to file a product liability lawsuit against the makers of the Amby Baby Motion hammock, according to a recent report published in Insurance Journal. The August death of the man’s five month old son was the second fatality linked to…
A fascinating column in the November issue of Consumer Reports magazine offered a frank call for more openness in medicine. Dr. John Santa, an internist who also directs the magazine’s Health Ratings Center, wrote: “Until our health care system gets its act together, patients and their families will have to…
Few things can be as mysterious to the outsider as the methods insurance companies use to value damage to a vehicle, especially when the car or truck has been totaled. A new Oregon law attempts to make that process a bit clearer – and fairer – for consumers. The new…