Texas Crash Kills Three Teens

According to the Austin American-Statesman, three teenagers died and five people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision Saturday afternoon on Texas 71 in western Travis County.

Austin High School student Audrey Ducote and Marble Falls High School student Randall H. Hibler, both 16, were killed in the wreck. Lauren Hoffman, 17, of Waco was also killed. Saturday's rainy weather was a factor in the collision, which occurred at 1:08 p.m. on Texas 71 at Bee Creek Road, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.

Investigators say it appears that the collision occurred when Hibler's mother, Tammy Sue Goodman, failed to negotiate a turn in the 2003 Ford pickup she was driving.

Goodman was traveling east on Texas 71 with Hibler and his 7-year-old half-brother, Stephen Austin Goodman, when the truck hydroplaned and veered into the oncoming traffic.

The truck hit a 2006 four-door Acura being driven by Amy Catherine Wright, 43. In the car with Wright were Ducote and Hoffman, as well 17-year-olds Kathryn Elizabeth Powers and Katherine Ann Singleton.

Ducote and Hoffman were not wearing seat belts, Department of Public Safety spokesman Kevin Byers said.

Goodman is in stable condition at University Medical Center at Brackenridge in Austin and her younger son is in stable condition at Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Byers said. Both have head injuries.

Wright, Singleton and Powers are in critical condition at University Medical Center, hospital officials said.

Hibler and his mother were on their way to Cabela's sporting goods store in Buda at the time of wreck, said Hibler's father, Randy.

"They were going to get him new arrows for his bow," he said through tears. "He loves hunting and fishing and sports."

Hibler played football and baseball for Marble Falls High.

It's unclear how the teens in the other car and Wright knew one another. A family friend who answered the phone Saturday night at Ducote's home said he did not know their relationships but confirmed that Ducote was an Austin High student.

Over the past year, residents and elected officials have raised concerns about safety along the stretch of Texas 71 where Saturday's wreck occurred. There have been multiple fatal wrecks on the portion of the highway that winds from the Village of Bee Cave to the western edge of Travis County. A wreck last June killed three Round Rock educators.

5 Tips to Driving Safely

1. Stay alert and relaxed
 If you're tired, don't drive. If you've had a rough day at the office, chill out before you get on the road. Your car drives as you feel, so be nice and stay alert. Keep a firm and friendly grip on the wheel. Avoid clenching and choking; conversely, don't drape a wrist over the top and think you've got control. Most of all, make sure you're comfortable, and that all controls are within easy reach.

2. Use your senses
If you stare at the car in front, chances are good that you'll drive right into an accident. Look around; survey the road ahead so you know what's coming up, and keep an eye on the road behind. If you need to change lanes, try planning your move a few cars ahead so that you have plenty of time to merge. Listen for sirens, horns, or screeching tires. And most of all, use your sense: if you think a driver is going to cut you off, back off a little and let them in. If you see a car coming up fast in the rear view, avoid making sudden moves.

3. Stay put
People who change lanes get into more accidents. What's worse, they make accidents happen. So keep away from the lane fidgets, pick one and drive to your destination.

4. Drive a car, not a cell phone
If the keys are in the ignition, the phone should be powered off. If you're driving with children, keep in mind that kids don't normally disappear into thin air --- so it's okay if you stop looking at them and concentrate on the road instead. No matter what it is, avoid distraction and focus on the task in hand --- driving.

5. Share the road
The Golden Rule applies to driving -- in fact, it should be a law. When you share the road, you put everyone in a good mood, avoid accidents and arrive at your destination in a friendly frame of mind. Try it: the next time someone is attempting a last minute lane change, be courteous and let them into the lane. Not only have you avoided a fender-bender, but you've also done a good deed. 

Provided by: Autobytel.com

Allstate Scheme

According to the Miami Herald, Allstate is facing contempt charges in Missouri -- with a $25,000-a-day fine -- and now it can't sell new auto policies in Florida, in part, because it wants to protect a report written by a corporate consultant.

Allstate has said those documents -- along with others that Florida regulators are seeking in their investigation into how the company sets insurance rates and pays claims -- are trade secrets.

What's so important that Allstate would risk so much?

According to an attorney who has seen the report from consultant McKinsey & Co., it advises Allstate on how to improve profitability: pay less on claims and take a longer time to pay those claims.
''The documents describe, in graphic terms, a scheme devised by Allstate and McKinsey & Co. to essentially turn the business of insurance into a zero-sum game,'' said David Bernardinelli, a Santa Fe, N.M., plaintiff attorney involved in a case against Allstate. He says he is the only person outside Allstate to have seen the report.
An Allstate spokesman didn't return a call seeking comment late Wednesday.

In the early 1990s, the corporate consultant advised Allstate to get tough with policyholders. Consumers who didn't accept a settlement offer from Allstate would have to fight in court to get their claims paid.
''This is the new insurance world that was created by McKinsey for a lot of insurers,'' Bernardinelli said.

Indeed, McKinsey did work for other companies, including State Farm. This insurer said it hasn't used McKinsey's services for more than a decade, according to a State Farm spokesman.

How did Bernardinelli get the report? In 2001, he was litigating a case against Allstate. He learned of the report and demanded to see it.

Allstate refused, claiming it contained trade secrets. It provided the same rebuff to the subpoena from Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation this week.

Bernardinelli got a break when a Santa Fe court judge ordered the insurer to provide Bernardinelli with a copy without any protective order.
After several attempts to block the judge's order, Allstate provided Bernardinelli a temporary set of documents while its appeal of the order was pending. The documents were printed in such a way that prevented him from copying or scanning them.
He spent two months going through 12,000 documents, reading them and taking copious notes. He ended up with 400 pages of notes.

In 2004, a Missouri court of appeals dismissed Allstate's appeal, and the company was once again ordered to provide the attorney with the documents. He turned over the set he had and demanded a clean set he could use in trials.

Allstate has refused again, and the case has gone to the Missouri Supreme Court.