It Figures

$38.5 Million

Amount a jury in Stamford, Conn. ordered a city obstetrician to pay to the family of a boy born with cerebral palsy in 2003. The jury ruled Dr. Corinne De Cholnoky should have performed a Caesarean section more quickly during the 2003 delivery of Spencer Oram, whose umbilical cord was impeding blood flow to his brain. The boy later developed the disease, while his twin sister, born 27 minutes earlier, did not. The verdict is among the largest-ever medical malpractice awards in the state’s history.

152,800

Record number of traffic citations issued last year by state troopers in Delaware. The surge in tickets is part of a crackdown against aggressive driving that the Office of Highway Safety credits with reducing roadway fatalities by 20 percent to 118.

1,033

The number of citations issued by Virginia State Police on a recent weekend highway safety crackdown. Officials said it was the lowest tally of traffic summonses and arrests since the crackdowns began in 2006, leading some to hope that the statistics mean drivers are being more cautious.

$15

The additional surcharge N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer has proposed on auto insurance policies as part of his statewide budget plan. That increase would raise to $20 the total surcharge. The bump in surcharges is expected to generate $140 million for the state but has been opposed by several key lawmakers.

33

The number of people injured in a fire on New York’s Upper East Side earlier this month. The early morning blaze tore through the first-floor store of a 34-story apartment building. It took 138 firefighters to put it out; 19 of those injured were firefighters.

247

Number of people helped by the Red Cross in Rhode Island in December and January — an 86 percent increase over the 133 people assisted by the group at the same time last year. CEO John Holt blamed the increase on greater use of space heaters, which more people are using as fuel costs rise, he said. The increased demand on it services has exhausted the group’s funds.