It Figures

September 24, 2007

$21 million
The amount awarded to Ralph Currier, 21, a Windsor County, Vermont man who was permanently injured in a car accident two years ago. It is one of the largest lawsuit awards in the state’s history. The award was broken down into nearly $1 million owed for medical care; $15 million for future medical care; nearly $1 million for wages Currier will not earn; and $5 million for pain and suffering.

30%
The percentage of all locally owned bridges in Pennsylvania that are considered structurally deficient, according to safety rating information released by the state transportation department. It covers about 6,400 local bridges that measure 20 feet or longer.

12
The number of people charged with insurance fraud in Pennsylvania stemming from a 2004 casino bus crash that authorities allege was staged so the passengers could cash in by filing bogus injury claims. The bus received little damage in the crash but immediately afterward, 20 of the 21 passengers reported injuries and were brought to a hospital. The bus company’s Lancer Insurance Co., eventually received claims for all 21 passengers — plus eight others who were not on the bus. More than $26,000 in bogus insurance claims was paid in total.

$31.6 million
The amount paid by property/casualty insurers for claims relating to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

58%
The percentage of structure fires that occur in one and two-family dwellings. Apartments accounted for 17 percent, the National Fire Protection Association reports.

$11 billion
The direct property loss from fires in 2006, an increase of 6 percent from 2005. Nearly $7 billion resulted from fires in residential dwellings, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

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Insurance Journal Magazine September 24, 2007
September 24, 2007
Insurance Journal Magazine

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