On behalf of all of us at CSE...

... Happy New Year!

Truth Can Be Stranger Than Fiction

Allegedly, all of the following come from actual auto claims reports.

• Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.




• The other car collided with mine without giving me warning of its intention.




• I thought my window was down, but I found it was up when I put my head through it.




• I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.





• A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.




• The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve several times before I hit him.




• I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother in law and headed over the embankment.




• In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.





• I had been shopping for a plant all day and was on my way home. As I reached an inter-section a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.




• I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.




• I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident and damage my big end.




• As I approached the intersection a sign appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.





• To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I stuck a pedestrian.




• My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.




• An invisible car came out of nowhere, stuck my car and vanished.




• I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat I found that I had a fractured skull.





• I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.




• The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run. So I ran over him.




• I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.




• The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.




• I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.





• The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out the way when I struck the front end.




• The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.




• I knocked over a man, he admitted it was his fault as he'd been knocked over before.

A Hero Emerges In Most Recent Police Shooting In Washington

There's at least a bit of good news in the most recent police shooting incident in Washington. Sgt. Nick Hausner, who was wounded along with partner Kent Mundell, has been released from the hospital.

Hausner has confirmed a fact not previously known: the daughter of David Crable, who shot Hausner and Mundell before he was killed, saved Hausner's life. The daughter, whose name has not been released, at some point during the exchange of gunfire jumped on her father and knocked him down, preventing him from continuing the gun battle.

Mundell remains in critical condition.

Another Assault On Law Enforcement In Washington

It's been a horrific year for law enforcement in Washington state, and yesterday it grew even worse. From salem-news.com:

Two deputies in Washington were ambushed today as they responded to a family disturbance call in the town of Eatonville, about 30 miles south of Tacoma.

The law enforcement officers entered a home where two brothers were reportedly fighting. After they were invited inside by one brother, the second reportedly retrieved a gun from upstairs and began firing down, striking the two deputies.

In spite of their wounds, the deputies returned fire and killed the suspect, David E. Crable.

Sgt. Nick Hausner, a 20 year veteran of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center.

Jay Ebbeson with the Madigan Army Medical Center, told Salem-News just before 4:00 p.m. that Hausner, who arrived in serious condition, is now in stable condition.

"Sgt Nick Hausnser is now in stable condition, that is an improvement," Ebbeson said, adding that the doctors are pretty confident that he will continue to improve. Nick Hausner is married, and has children who are 14 and 12 years old.

Ebbeson said everyone at the Madigan Army Medical Center is also keeping his fellow officer in their thoughts.

The second deputy, Kent Mundell, is fighting for his life in Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where he was transported by helicopter after the shooting.

Hospital spokesperson Susan Gregg-Hanson, told Salem-News that Mundell is in critical condition in the facility's Intensive Care Unit.

"He is surrounded by family and friends and other law enforcement officials have been here all day."

Gregg-Hanson said their teams are doing everything possible, "Trauma is our business, he has a lot of support."

In spite of the serious, life-threatening injuries, Gregg-Hanson had an undeniable tone of optimism. Still, it is clear that the injuries are severe.

"Right now it is just hour by hour."

Kent Mundell is married and has two children, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old.

A Possible End To Bank/Insurance Ties

A story by Reuters dated yesterday states that legislation has been introduced in Congress that if passed would restore the separation between banks and insurance. Specifically, the bills would prohibit larger banks from either entering into an affiliation with securities firms or being involved with the insurance business.

The argument behind the legislation is that by limiting the size and scope of financial institutions, situations requiring massive government bailouts such as what has taken place the past two years can be avoided.

Bruno The Dinosaur

If this doesn't bring a tear, nothing will. A letter from a Lakewood, Washington police officer.

This letter by a Lakewood police officer wishing to remain anonymous, was forwarded to us by Tukwila police department public information officer Mike Murphy.

December 13, 2009

I’m not much for writing Christmas letters, and in fact this year, I didn’t even feel like making the effort of buying and addressing Christmas cards at all.

I’m sure you all have heard of the terrible tragedy that occurred here in Lakewood two weeks ago today – four of our officers, four people that have become my friends over the past 5 years as we all worked here together, were gunned down as they sat in a coffee shop. Three fathers and a mother – all of whom were dedicated to their jobs and their families – now dead.

The grief at our station and in our community has been overwhelming and we have all now just barely begun to process what this means for our department and for police departments all across our state and nation. Several times since this event happened, police agencies have responded to reports of individuals across King and Pierce Counties causing commotions and claiming to be planning to kill more officers. We do our best to maintain our composure and continue to do our jobs the best that we can.

It is hard not to remain bleak and jaded with these events so fresh in our minds. But something happened today, just 20 minutes ago, which made me want to send out a Christmas letter.

I’m here at work and was just out in our secure parking lot helping another officer load collection bins into his car to take to a local Lakewood Police Independent Guild fundraiser event. I heard a woman, standing with a boy who couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old, calling, “Excuse me….” through our locked gate. She had apparently been trying to get to our front counter but found no one there, it being Sunday, and had just happened to see us in the parking lot. I walked over to her and saw that the little boy was holding a plastic baggy containing a dollar and some change, and was clutching a well-worn stuffed dinosaur.

The woman told me that her son, AJ, had seen the stories on tv about our 4 slain officers. She said that they had driven to our station all the way from Kingston because her son was so intent on helping the children of these officers. I opened the gate and the boy handed me the plastic baggy containing all the money from his piggybank and a note on which he had written “AJ….From me to Pleec. I Love You.” And then, with tears in his eyes, he handed me his stuffed dinosaur. AJ’s mom explained that he wanted to give the children of the slain officers the most precious thing that he owned, and that was his dinosaur, Bruno.

I told AJ that I would take the money that he wanted to donate, but that I thought the best thing he could do for the children of our 4 officers was to keep Bruno safe with him but to keep those kids in his heart when he hugged his dinosaur. He agreed and gratefully took Bruno back from me and held him tightly as if he never wanted to let him go again.

We have seen many, many acts of generosity and kindness over the past 2 weeks. We have hugged more friends and strangers than we could have ever imagined and have mended broken ties with people we haven’t talked to for years. Yet nothing has touched me deeper, or given me more hope for the future, than AJ and his stuffed dinosaur. I gave AJ one of our department challenge coins, explaining to him that we only gave them out to the bravest and most deserving people we came across. I hope he will realize someday how much more than a dollar and some change he gave to me and to the Lakewood Police Department today.

So anyway, none of that is about Christmas, but it is about hope and love and I thought it was appropriate to share this holiday season.

I hope this letter finds all of you well and eager to spend the holidays with those you love. Squeeze everyone a little tighter and hug them a little longer today because life really is precious. Merry Christmas!

Remembering Fallen Heroes

The wife of a law enforcement professional in Washington state has written a stark post in her blog. It is a must read.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouse Is

The Lakewood fallen have been laid to rest. Maurice Clemmons body is cold, while his soul smolders. News coverage is shifting to cover things like the war on Christmas, Tiger Woods’ sex life and the questionable placement of Michelle Obama’s belts. Before we all get back to business as usual, I’d like to do my small part to help the three surviving spouses and nine children left damaged in ways they will never fully recover from, yet left with no choice but to find a way to carry on.

This week I’m devoting all my posts to honoring law enforcement, giving the general public a glimpse into what it means to be a cop on and off duty, the unique challenges that face a law enforcement family and most importantly, aiding the grieving.

My strategy? Guilt mongering. I’ve been told I’m pretty good at. I’m hoping my fellow bloggers will join me in encouraging giving before this news story fades away. I’m not tracking hits on my blog this week. I’m tracking hits on that link in the top right corner. I know money is tight right now. We can’t afford to cut a huge check right now, so our family has committed to giving a smaller amount every paycheck. I’ll be leaving that link up for a year. Every little bit helps. Money can’t heal a broken heart, but it can relieve some stress for the surviving parents.

The Lakewood Police Independent Guild has set up a trust for the children of Sgt. Mark Renninger, Ofc. Tina Griswold, Ofc. Ronald Owens and Ofc. Greg Richards. Since the LPIG is managed through member dues, 100% of donations will go into a trust for the children. The guild stresses that they are not soliciting donations through telephone or email. Unfortunately, some scammers have tried to exploit the situation. However, there are some businesses legitimately soliciting donations.

I’ve read a lot of comments on blogs regarding why fallen police get so much fanfare compared with our fallen military. I see their point, but I’m really not interested in arguing about which deaths are more tragic right now. If that aspect really bothers someone they might consider the huge number of law enforcement officers which are former military.

I’m also closing comments. Comment by giving.

What To Do In Case Of An E&O Suit

Christopher Boggs has written an excellent article on the do's and don'ts should you be hit with an E&O suit (link here). Some of his main points:

1. Don't overreact.
2. Don't make any changes to the client's file as it relates to the charges.
3. Don't discuss the claim with anyone other than the claims representative, defense attorney or any other member of the office DIRECTLY involved in the claim.
4. Do not make any admission of liability or wrongdoing; and do not offer or make payment.
5. Do not provide any written or recorded statement to the plaintiff without your carrier’s claims representative present.
6. Do not allow inspection, copying or removal of client files and records without consulting with the claims representative managing the claim.
7. Do not try to manage the claim on your own.

Now, the things you should do:

1. Notify the E&O carrier of a “claim” at once.
2. Gather and organize all pertinent records related to the insured and the situation.
3. Write down all the information known about the incident surrounding the claim.
4. Cooperate with the E&O carrier.
5. Make sure you comply with all policy conditions and requirements.
   

At The Present Time...

... it's 39 degrees in San Francisco and 43 in Los Angeles.

How's that global warming working out for you? ;-)

Seriously, stay warm and drive carefully.

Southern California Also Preps For Heavy Weather

Not to be left out, southern California is also bracing for a wave of storms. Again, from the National Weather Service:

...POTENTIAL FOR WET WEATHER ACROSS CALIFORNIA NEXT WEEK WITH A MAJOR SNOW STORM POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS MONDAY...   A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE FORECAST TO AFFECT CALIFORNIA NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST SYSTEM IS WILL BRING RAIN...WIND AND SNOW TO THE REGION MAINLY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY. THIS WILL BE A COLD STORM AND WILL LIKELY LOWER SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO 4000 FEET OR LOWER. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL FALL IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH A FOOT OR MORE LIKELY AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...ESPECIALLY IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. AN INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE AT LOWER ELEVATIONS.   A SECOND STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING MORE HEAVY PRECIPITATION THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THIS STORM WILL BE WARMER AND WILL DRAW TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE WEST PACIFIC. THIS STORM COULD BRING WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL...THOUGH THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE MUCH HIGHER AS THIS WILL BE A STORM OF PACIFIC ORIGIN.   LARGE SURF WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH EACH OF THESE STORMS ALONG WITH DANGEROUS BOATING CONDITIONS.   STAYED TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER EVENT.

Batten Down The Hatches, Northern California

If you live in northern California, specifically the San Francisco Bay area, prep yourself for some nasty weather next week. From the National Weather Service:

...COLDER WEATHER ARRIVES SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH LOWERING SNOW LEVELS...   ...WET AND WARMER WEATHER EXPECTED DURING THE MIDDLE AND END OF NEXT WEEK...   A STRONG CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL BRING THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON SO FAR TO THE BAY AREA AND CENTRAL COAST SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. ALTHOUGH INITIALLY DRY THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME UNSTABLE AND CAUSE SHOWERS TO DEVELOP ALONG WITH LOWERING SNOW LEVELS MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL RANGE FROM 500 FEET OVER THE NORTH BAY TO 1500 FEET OVER THE CENTRAL COAST. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE RAIN SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSHOWERS. IF SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THE HILLS AND MOUNTAINS BECOME SOMEWHAT GREATER THAN EXPECTED THEN A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED MONDAY.   PLANS FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK SHOULD INCLUDE PROVIDING PROPER SHELTER FOR ANYONE OR ANYTHING SENSITIVE TO COLD...INCLUDING PETS.   A STRONGER STORM WILL ARRIVE WEDNESDAY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS. STORMY WEATHER CONDITIONS COULD LAST INTO THURSDAY.   ADDITIONALLY EXPECT LARGE WAVES NEAR THE COAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.   POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM THESE STORMS INCLUDE:   * URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING ALONG WITH POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING. * HIGH WINDS THAT CAN DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES PRODUCING POWER OUTAGES. * HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DUE TO VERY SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. * DANGEROUS NEAR SHORE CONDITIONS DUE TO HIGH SURF FROM LARGE WAVES.   THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION....

Catastrophe Losses Worldwide Down 52% In 2009 Due To Mild U.S. Hurricane Season

Swiss Re, a reinsurance provider based in Zurich, has released its initial estimate for CAT (catastrophe) losses in 2009. With the hurricane season now in the rear view mirror, it has stated an estimate of 52% lower losses than 2008.

According to the estimate, total insured losses worldwide for 2009 will be around $24 billion. Of this, $21 billion is due to natural catastrophes.

As a comparison, total insured losses worldwide in 2008 came out to $50 billion.

The total number of catastrophes in 2009, both natural and man-made, has been nearly double the average number of catastrophes per year when measured out over the past twenty years. In Europe, insured losses this year have been above average. However, the tranquility of hurricane season here has led to the total losses being sharply lower.

DISCLOSURE: CSE has no professional affiliation with Swiss Re.

Take Time For Twitter

There's been an interesting shift in the social media dynamic lately; one that affects both the insurance industry and insureds alike. It's the explosion of Twitter.

Twitter can be described as sending text messages, short ones at that (the maximum number of characters allowed in a single message is 140), to your friends. And people who follow you. In some cases, lots of people. As in tens or hundreds of thousands. Obviously not every single one personally interacts with each other, but the potential to instantly reach large numbers of people is available to anyone who plunges into the Twitterstream.

The trick for businesses who wish to use Twitter as a communication tool is the need to soft-pedal the normal advertising approach. Few things turn off potential readers faster than coming on hot and heavy with the sales pitch. A far better approach is to humanize your business along with a gentle approach to getting the word out.

Unless you happen to be a super-celebrity, building an audience on Twitter takes both time and commitment to maintaining a consistent, constant presence. There are no overnight success stories. You have to establish a brand, and you have to build trust.

Two methods for generating good will should be standard operational procedure for anyone wishing to use Twitter. First, actively engage people. This doesn't mean jumping into every conversation. However, there is no "ask to be invited before contributing" protocol involved with Twitter. Not only is it acceptable to jump in, it's the only way you'll ever get noticed. Second, be generous with the "retweets," this being repeating someone else's tweet with their user name at the front so they'll get the credit for originating things.

Taking this to the insurance level, establishing and maintaining communication with customers after the sale is vital in this competitive, economically challenging environment. What better way than through instant messaging? We live in an increasingly impatient society, one where people want their information now. Why not assemble a list of your customer's Twitter IDs and set up a group so you can get news to them affecting their policies swiftly? And before the competition?

It used to be that being called a twit was an insult. Now, being a twitterer is almost mandatory. Take advantage of this tool. You won't regret it.