Wrongful Death by Tiger Attack not Covered by Homeowners Policy

In 2005, Haley Hilderbrand, a 17-year-old high school student, decided to have her senior picture taken with a wild animal at a farm that was licensed to rescue and shelter exotic animals, including tigers, bears, lions, cougars, monkeys and alligators. The farm had made its animals available for photos in the past.

But on the day Haley had her picture taken, the 700-pound Siberian tiger attacked Haley. She later died from her injuries.

Thomas Warner Jr. of the Warner Law Offices in Wichita, Kan., who represented Haley's father, Randy Hilderbrand, in both the wrongful death suit and the related insurance dispute, faults the tiger's handler. "Some say, 'How could the family let their daughter get her picture taken with a tiger?' " Warner said. "They didn't know how lax this tiger handler would be. He held back a 700-pound, full-grown adult with only a dog leash."

According to the 10th Circuit opinion, the handler was Doug Billingsley, whose parents, Keith and Sharon Billingsley, owned the farm, along with Animal Entertainment Productions, a for-profit partnership that exhibited the rescued animals at magic shows and other events. Doug Billingsley was a trained animal handler, who had spent time working with magic shows involving large cats in Malaysia and on a Singapore-based cruise ship. He also worked in the lion habitat of the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas.

NYU Film Student Killed on Set

Last May, NYU film student John Hunt Lamensdorf, was killed while helping with another student's film project. The Village Voice has a lengthy account of what happened on the Georgia set, directly from someone who was there: Jason Welin.

Welin was hired for $350, and was at the controls of the aerial lift that hit power lines which caused a powerful explosion resulting in Lamensdorf's electrocution. He described the events, noting that Lamensdorf was setting up a 1,000 watt light on the other side of the dilapidated house they were filming at when Welin made contact with the wires above the lift, causing Lamensdorf's electrocution; "he was bleeding from his nose and mouth" when his friend Andres Cardona started CPR, and ultimately he died.

His parents are suing NYU, NES Rentals (for renting the lift "to inexperienced college students"), an NYU professor, Welin, Pen Pals Productions, the producers of the film, and classmates who were on the shoot, including Cardona, who tried to save their son. Welin's response? "That's great, that's just fucking great. I already feel bad enough that people are saying I have blood on my hands, and now to be sued? It really makes you feel like a piece of shit."

For their part, NYU has declined to discuss if they've added a dedicated safety course to the the curriculum. Tisch School of the Arts will be screening Lamensdorf's short film this Sunday, however, titled Only Criminals.

Stuntwoman in LA Killed Driving to Work

(AP) LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 28-year-old television stuntwoman is dead after she fell off her motorcycle and was hit by another vehicle while driving to a set in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office says April Stirton was riding her motorcycle west on U.S. Highway 101 Tuesday morning when she attempted to pass a tow truck.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jose Nunez says Stirton was going about 55 mph when she lost control, fell off her bike and was struck by the back wheels of the tow truck. She died at the scene.

No other injuries were reported.

Missy Reynolds, who runs a stunt service agency and worked with Stirton, says Stirton was an up-and-coming performer who worked as a stunt double on TV shows, including "True Blood" and "CSI," and as an acrobat in live shows.

from CBSNEWS

Woman dies in elevator

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was a perfect storm of tragedy: A young woman with a congenital heart defect became trapped on an elevator during a power outage in New Dorp today, just inches from her sixth-floor home, and lapsed into unconsciousness.

Danielle Goldberg, 26, who was returning from a visit to the doctor and who was alone on the elevator, died shortly thereafter at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

Danielle Goldberg died at hospital.The outage at the Tysens Park Apartments on Mill Road this morning halted the elevator cab between floors five and six.

Panicked, Ms. Goldberg used her cell phone to call her mother at work, to let her know her heart was racing. Her mother tried to calm her, said her brother-in-law, William Marin, but by the time the elevator doors could be forced open, she was already unconscious.

Panicked, Ms. Goldberg used her cell phone to call her mother at work, to let her know her heart was racing. Her mother tried to calm her, said her brother-in-law, William Marin, but by the time maintenance workers succeeded in forcing open the elevator doors, she was unconscious.

Ms. Goldberg’s next-door neighbor, Patricia Sanchez, heard the commotion; she said the workers asked for someone to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so she stepped in and started CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

"Nothing was working. I was feeling for a pulse," Ms. Sanchez said. "I was praying she would make it through. I was just praying she would make it through."

from SILive.com