Mich. health officials confirm 5th West Nile death

A fifth person from Michigan has died from the West Nile virus this season, the Michigan Department of Community Health confirmed Thursday.

An 87-year-old woman in Kent County Health is the latest person to die in the state this year, according to Department of Community Health spokeswoman Angela Minicuci.

On Wednesday, health officials said Michigan is in the midst of a West Nile virus epidemic, calling on residents to be vigilant, especially those over age 50 or who live in Metro Detroit's older ring suburbs.

The state is among the highest number of cases in the nation, and health officials are predicting one of the worst seasons for the West Nile virus since it was first detected in 1999.

By Kim Kozlowski
From The Detroit News:

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Fourth death reported as West Nile in Michigan reaches 'epidemic'

Michigan is experiencing an epidemic of the West Nile virus, health officials said Wednesday, as they reported a fourth death and called on residents to be vigilant, especially those who are over the age of 50 and living in inner ring suburbs of Metro Detroit.

"It's serious," Dr. Dean Sienko, interim chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Community Health said during a conference call with reporters to brief the public on the severity of the situation.

"This can be a very serious illness and can lead to death," he said.

Sienko announced a fourth death, an 86-year-old woman from Wayne County, making it the second death in Wayne County this season. The other two deaths were patients in Washtenaw and the city of Detroit. All of the deaths occurred in people between the ages of 69 and 86.

By Kim Kozlowski
From The Detroit News:

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Michigan State trooper saves motorcyclist's life after crash

Genoa Township — Quick work under pressure by a Michigan State Police trooper saved the life of a motorcycle rider Tuesday night.

According to a report from the Michigan State Police's Brighton Post, a 72-year-old motorcycle rider suffered an amputated leg after being struck by car on Grand River Avenue, near Golf Club Road, at about 8:50 p.m.

The motorcyclist, a resident of Howell, was riding westbound on Grand River when a 2006 Ford headed eastbound — driven by a 44 year old Howell man — made a left turn in front of the motorcycle.

By Tom Greenwood
From The Detroit News:

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U.S. settles lawsuit over care at Bay City clinic

Bay City — The federal government has agreed to pay $78,000 to a family to settle a lawsuit over a stillbirth in Bay City.

Sara Facundo claimed that Health Delivery Inc. failed to diagnose a serious problem with her pregnancy in the final trimester, resulting in the stillbirth of her son in December 2008. The government can be sued for malpractice at clinics that are federally funded.

The settlement was approved Monday by federal Judge Thomas Ludington in Bay City.

Before filing a lawsuit in 2011, the Facundo family had filed a claim for $3 million. The government did not respond, which led to the court action.

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Boy dies from injuries in playground accident

A 15-year-old Holly Township boy, found hanging from a zip line on school playground equipment, has died from his injuries. The teen, who was not identified, died Thursday night in Genesys Hospital, less than 24 hours after the accident at Davisburg Elementary. Rescue personnel found him hanging from a 4-foot chain that was attached by a pulley to a cable zip line running between two poles. An 18-year-old female friend told deputies the death was an accident.

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Victims tweeted shortly before train derailed outside Baltimore

Ellicott City, Md. — A train hauling coal derailed on a bridge in this city's historic district, killing two college students who had been drinking together and hanging out on the tracks. Nearly two dozen railroad cars flipped over, including some that fell onto vehicles in a parking lot below the bridge, officials said.

The students, both 19-year-old women, posted photos and comments from what appeared to be the bridge shortly before the train derailed around midnight Monday, according to Twitter feeds with the same names as the victims.

    By Alex Dominguez
    Associated Press
From The Detroit News:

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Police seek witnesses to fatal motorcycle crash

Clinton Township
Police seek witnesses to fatal motorcycle crash

Authorities in southeast Michigan said a crash involving three motorcycles and three other vehicles has left two bikers dead and severely injured a third. Police said Sunday that the crash happened about 11 p.m. Friday.

Police said the crash killed a driver and passenger on one bike, severely injured another biker and left a car passenger with minor injuries.

The department said those killed were a 58-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman. It didn't release their names.

It said an SUV rear-ended the last of the motorcycles that were traveling together. Police are asking for help from anyone who may have seen the crash.

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West Nile takes elderly woman's life; cases found in 3 counties

It could be a bad year for the West Nile virus, state officials warned Thursday, as they announced the first human fatality in Washtenaw County. The virus is showing up earlier than in seasons past, and human cases are at their highest to date nationally and in Michigan, officials said. Seventy percent of the two dozen human West Nile cases reported this year have occurred in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.


By Kim Kozlowski
From The Detroit News:

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Ex-deputy: We beat jail inmate

Witness made plea deal; 3 others stand trial over 2010 assault

Detroit — A former Wayne County sheriff's deputy turned prosecution witness testified Wednesday that he and three other deputies beat and kicked an inmate inside his cell in February 2010.

Former deputy Denario Adolphus, 29, testified against the three Wednesday. He originally was charged in the alleged beating. He quit the department in September 2011 and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in a plea deal. He's scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 29.

By Steve Pardo
From The Detroit News:

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$1.3 million settlement reached in freak accident at entrance to Portland International Raceway

Ron Anderson retired in early 2010, and by that summer he was living his dream. He had customized a wicked 1966 Chevy El Camino into a drag racer that turned 11.7 seconds in the quarter mile. His wife of more than 40 years, Gayl  Anderson, who had traveled to countless drag strips with him -- even on their honeymoon -- served as pit crew.

On the morning of Aug. 27, 2010, Ron Anderson popped over to the Portland International Raceway entrance to pay for a tech card that would allow him to compete the following day. He was standing by the ticket window when a pickup truck drove through, its long trailer pinning him against the booth.

What happened next -- a freak accident bound to happen, as Portland lawyer Tom D'Amore describes it -- turned an outgoing thrill seeker into a man who seldom leaves an assisted living center in Vancouver.

By Bryan Denson, The Oregonian

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Mountain biking and injuries go hand in hand

MARQUETTE -- For some mountain bikers, injuries can be a dime a dozen, even among veteran bikers, and when accidents happen, occupational therapists like Aaron Lautenschlager of M Therapies at Marquette General Hospital step in to save the day. Lautenschlager specializes in hand therapy, where injuries are most commonly seen among mountain bikers.

"About 85 percent of all mountain bike riders receive some type of injury. Generally, most of them are minor in nature - skin abrasions, soft tissue injuries like tendonitis," said Laughtenschlager, Certified Hand Therapist.


by Dustin Bonk
upper michigans source

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