Full face snorkel masks might be the common thread amongst an increasing number of drowning deaths in Hawai’i.  

The alarm was sounded on full-face snorkeling masks in 2017, when a woman waded into calm waters off the coast of Hawai’i, eager to try her new full-face snorkeling mask. Less than an hour later, her body…

As is typical after a wildfire, insurers are requiring survivors to submit detailed “personal property inventories” listing the property they lost in the Maui Wildfire before paying Lahaina homeowners the limits of their personal property coverage. Preparing the inventories can take hours or even days.  Not surprisingly, many survivors find it traumatic to list all…

In times like these, survivors are grappling with the aftermath, and your compassion can make a difference in their lives. Often, finding clear guidance on how to assist can be frustrating, leading to moments of discouragement. Your willingness to offer concrete advice on navigating resources and offering a helping hand can significantly ease the burden…

There are things that Maui wildfire survivors can do right now to help make the recovery process easier. Once you and your loved ones are out of imminent danger, you should immediately contact your insurance company, make a plan for housing, track all expenses and insurance interactions, and prepare an inventory of your losses. 

• Contact

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Looks as though Hawai’ian Electric Company is legally responsible for the Maui Wildfire.  After all, it:

• Failed to de-energize power lines in areas with high winds and dry vegetation, even though it had a public power shutoff plan in place;
• Failed to maintain its power lines and equipment, which were in poor condition and prone

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In June 2023, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva and 3M Company put up more than $13 billion to settle AFFF actions (Aqueous Film Forming Foams.) These settlements pertain only to 600 Public Water Systems. The settlements are subject to approval by Judge Richard M. Gergel, who was assigned in December 2018 to oversee the ongoing MDL proceedings…

It depends. A New Jersey School district paid $9.1 million to parents of bullied student, Mallory Grossman who died by suicide in 2017. See news report here.

But most states do not allow recovery in cases of death by suicide.  They follow the archaic “suicide rule” that considers death by suicide a voluntary act…