The Town Crier
August 2013
DON’T FORGET!
Our office will be closed on Thursday nights for July and August! Office hours will be Mon—Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm.
If you’re a faithful reader of the ‘Town Crier’ you know at our office we ask local artists
to hang their artwork on our walls. Paintings and photographs are constantly changing. Currently
we are fortunate to feature artwork from Taunton High School student’s end of the year art projects.
So if you are in our office, take some time to walk around and browse at some of the student’s
hard work.
*If you know a local artist who would like to show their work
please have them contact us at [email protected]
How To Check Car Seats For Safety
Car seats for kids can protect your most precious cargo … but only if they're right for the job, both in terms of the
type of seat and the way they're used. Here are some tips on how to make sure your young passengers are as well-protected as they can be in your car.
Check the label to make sure the seat is right for a child's age, weight and height.
Keep all seats in the back. In fact all kids up to age 13 should travel in the back.
Up to age about 2, use a properly tethered rear-facing seat.
Check for firmness of tethering. You shouldn’t be able to move the seat more than an inch in any
direction.
Ensure the harness is tightly bucked and threaded through the right slots. Check this with the manual.
Always read the car seat instruction manual and, until you're well practiced, check your installation against the
guidelines in the book.
Look out for a car seat inspection event in your community. Visit the website safekids.org for events and details
of certified child passenger safety technicians.
Allan M. Walker Insurance Agency
120 High Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Tel# 508-824-5875 Fax# 508-880-5056 Toll Free# 1-877-824-6670
[email protected] www.allanwalker.com
Lightning Strikes: Damages & Defense
If you’ve been paying attention to the news out of the Rocky Mountains lately it will
come as no surprise to hear that a single lightning strike can be very, very costly.
Lightning can spark devastating fires, disrupt or destroy electronics and communications,
and, of course, can electrocute anyone unfortunate enough to receive a direct strike. The deadly
weather phenomena presents a risk at both personal and structural levels and it’s never more important to
take preventive precautions, especially here in the most dangerous summer months. Below are three common
threats posed by lightning and three actions that can be taken to address them.
Your Health
Danger: Health Risk to Self & Loved Ones
Over 50 people are killed each year by lightning and hundreds more are injured, often very seriously. Hospital
care will obviously be needed in the short term but strikes leave many long term pains as well. In addition to
burns, the body’s central nervous system is what is primarily affected by lightning strikes, risking brain injury
and nerve destruction. These ailments often bring about long term memory loss, a breakdown in cognitive
2functionality, and increased susceptibility to mental ailments such as anxiety and clinical depression. Clearly
much is at risk, but with proper preparation, the probability of being struck is substantially reduced.
Defense: Preparation & Education
It all comes down to recognizing the signs of an impending lightning storm and then knowing what to do once
you see them. There’s no better place to start than with the now famous quote; “When thunder roars, go
Indoors!” Set a predetermined meeting spot for you and yours inside a building, covered structure, or vehicle,
and head there as soon as you hear the crack of thunder. Lightning bolts can precede even rain, so don’t wait!
Stay in the secure location, far from water, high ground, open spaces, and metal objects, until the storm has
rolled through. It’s best to wait until 30 minutes have passed since the last observed lightning flash.
Your Home
Danger: Property Destruction & Electronic Data Loss
Lightning brings both internal and external threats to home and business property if proper precautions are not
addressed. Direct strikes can spark fires and even physically tear apart structure! Additionally, it can sneak
inside via plumbing, corded electronics, and through windows and doors. Lastly, lighting can attack
electronics that are plugged in, potentially irreversibly corrupting or destroying valuable data.
Defense: More Preparation & Education
Through professionally installed, LPI certified lightning protection systems a home can reroute and discharge
lightning strikes into the ground and out of harm’s way. However, their effectiveness isn’t completely
guaranteed. It’s still essential to stay far away from windows and doors, unplug electronics (though not during
the storm,) and avoid contact with corded electronics, pipes & plumbing, and other metal objects. Electronic
data should always be backed up beforehand, either on an external hard drive or stored wirelessly in ‘the
cloud.’ And while we’re on the home front, make sure not to forget Fido! Pets left outside or leashed to a
metal poles are especially susceptible to strikes.
Your Life
Danger: Large and Unexpected Expenses
Each year lightning strikes cause more than 25,000 fires, hundreds of injuries, and dozens of deaths in the US
alone. This translates to over more than 200,000 separate insurance claims, and over a billion dollars in
medical bills, property destruction, and other damages. Additionally, these numbers do not completely reflect
the damages caused by loss of electronic data. While difficult to quantify, it’s easy to imagine how losing
client contact information, transaction histories, sentimental photos and so forth would dramatically impact
day-to-day life. Clearly the ramifications are dire and preventive measures are not to be taken lightly.
CLIENT OF THE MONTH
Allan Walker is nothing without our clients trust. That is why we would like to
thank Joe Teixeira, owner of Honey Dew Donuts, for trusting us with his business
insurance needs.
City / Town you live in? Raynham
Family? Married with 2 daughters
School? New Bedford High School
Most unexpected or surprising thing about your job? You never
know what you are going to do from day to day.
First car you owned? 1974 Mercury Comet
What radio station is dialed in or what’s in your CD player? 101.5 or
the Portuguese band Our Lady of Angels
What book are you currently reading? Loves to read about history
Hobbies? Basketball, soccer and softball with the kids
Honey Dew 855 Broadway Raynham, Ma 02767
7 days a week 4am– 10pm
Honey Dew 87 Huttleston Ave Fairhaven, Ma 02719
Open 24 hours
Honey Dew 2813 Acushnet Avenue New Bedford, Ma 02746
7 days a week 4am-9pm
Bright Ideas: Tips And News Snippets For A Better, Safer Life
Sufferers from Alzheimer's
disease can find it difficult to
recognize what's safe around the
home and what's not. The National
Institute on Aging has produced a
free guide for care givers,
downloadable from: http://
tinyurl.com/AlzGuide
When your car is parked outside
your home, walk around it
completely before getting in. That
way you check if there are kids, toys
or animals in the vicinity. Make sure
they're safe before starting up and
driving off.
Bushes and tall shrubs close to
doors and windows make ideal
hiding places for burglars. Don’t
plant them in these locations. If you
have them, remove them or trim them
back heavily.
The child safety organization
Safe Kids Worldwide uses Rover
the Home Safety Hound to teach
children how to become Safety Stars
through a delightful activity book of
puzzles suitable for Grades 1 thru 3.
It includes a fire escape plan template
that can be used by the whole family.
Don't use your barbecue within
10 feet of your home or other
structures. When you're cooking, allow yourself to take in some fresh air.
BBQ smoke contains carbon monoxide and toxic chemicals from burning
grease.
This month sees the annual
International Youth Day on
August 12. The event is
organized by the United Nations to
recognize the efforts of our young
people in contributing to society and
promote ways to engage them more.
More teens die from texting or
reading texts while driving than
from drinking and driving, a new
report reveals. To resist the
temptation to text or even take calls,
encourage them to put their phones in
the trunk when they're driving. You
should do the same thing yourself.
Allan M. Walker Insurance Agency
120 High Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Tel# 508-824-5875 
Fax# 508-880-5056
Toll Free# 1-877-824-6670
[email protected]
PET OF THE MONTH
WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!
It was a hot day in July but thanks to Arbella
Insurance and the Mix 104.1 Ice Cream Truck we
were treated to some free samples of Turkey Hill
Ice Cream
Thank You to Paul and Cathy H. of
Taunton for sending us this adorable pic
of Moxie! Clearly this is not only the
dog’s favorite dish but Moxie’s too!
Please send us a pic of your pet and you may be featured in our
next newsletter! [email protected]
CHECK US OUT AT WWW.ALLANWALKER.COM 
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