Addressing the deadly Washington D.C. train crash Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said the operator of the train that “slammed into a stationary train in front of it apparently had activated the emergency brakes in a failed effort to stop before the accident.” as reported in the Washington Post. Hersman said the “emergency brake button, known as the ‘mushroom,’ was depressed, and the steel rails showed evidence that the brakes were engaged.”

Court of Appeals Rules on SUM Claims
In a decision dated June 4, 2009, In the Matter of Allstate Insurance Company v. Rivera, the Court of Appeals handed down a ruling regarding SUM claims. Essentially the Court ruled that insurers under a SUM policy are “able to reduce the coverage limits of the tortfeasor’s policy