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Snow Blower Hand Injuries on the Rise
The snow that fell Thursday was extremely heavy and very thick. That can be rough, even for a snow blower. That's leading to a high number of hand injuries to people trying to unclog their snow blowers with their hands. It's hard to imagine just how powerful these blades are, but shove a broom handle in the way and the wood will be no match for the inside of a snow blower. Dr. Jan Bax says it only takes a split second to suffer a massive injury. "It just cut it up into match stick-size pieces and just shredded it," said Bax, a doctor at the Hand and Upper Extremity Center of Northeast Wisconsin. Dr. Bax says he's been busy since Saturday. So far his clinic has seen 28 patients, and most lost a finger because of a snow blower.
Whistle-blower lawsuit settled
The Madison County Commission approved an out-of-court settlement Friday of a federal whistle-blower lawsuit that could save more than $1.3 million in taxpayers' money. Five of the six commissioners voted to pay $53,750 as the county's part of a $110,000 settlement to end litigation that stemmed from the defunct Working Connection welfare-to-work program. Tommie Lockhart of Huntsville, who sued in October 2001 under the federal False Claims Act, will receive 30 percent of the settlement. The government will receive a 70 percent share after payment of $45,000 to Lockhart's attorney, Kerri Riley, for legal fees. Lockhart was executive director of the program from December 1999 to August 2000. Commissioner Faye Dyer was absent Friday, and Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie does not vote unless there is a tie.
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