Declarations

It’s a Twister?

“It was a noise I never heard before… Everything was pitch black and going in a circle down the road.”

—Edward Beardsley of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where a rare tornado tore through the city, ripping off roofs, knocking down buildings, toppling trees and shattering windows. Officials at the National Weather Service confirmed that the storm produced a 100-yards wide tornado with winds of at least 100 mph that traveled less than a quarter of a mile. Serious injuries were few; no one was killed.

Courage After an Accident

“You have to be strong and take care of what happened to you.”

—Manuel Rosario, an aerospace manufacturing worker from Long Island who lost seven fingers and part of an eighth in an industrial accident at work last month. The machine he was working on slammed shut before he could pull his hands away, leaving Rosario with only his thumbs and part of his right pinkie. Rosario said he bears no ill will toward his employer, Ametek Inc.; OSHA is investigating the incident.

To Settle or Not

“The difference between a settlement and litigation is the difference between a bank account and a lottery ticket.”

—Professor Roy D. Simon, of Hofstra University School of Law, commenting on the $712.5 million settlement reached between the City of New York and plaintiffs who sued the city for injuries sustained in the clean up of the World Trade Center. Simon was appointed by the court to make sure communications to those who could potentially join the settlement are fair and accurate.

Dangers of the Road

“Texting has become the norm in our society. We need… to begin to break that habit when people get behind the wheel.”

—Massachusetts State Sen. Steve Baddour (D), commenting on a proposal to ban texting while driving in the state – a proposal that was passed by state lawmakers last month. The bill would also prohibit younger drivers from using cell phones while driving and require older drivers to undergo vision checks every five years. If the bill is signed into the law, which is expected, Massachusetts would join 28 other states and the District of Columbia in banning drivers from texting, including Vt., N.H., R.I., Conn. and N.Y.