Here’s a tragic story. A hiker in the Olympic National Forest was gored by an aggressive mountain goat and died. This happened in fall of 2010. Apparently Bob Boardman of Port Angeles was hiking with his wife, Susan Chadd, and a friend, when the mountain goat in question started acting aggressively toward them. The hikers resumed their hike while the mountain goat followed. The animal then attacked Boardman and stayed with him for about 30 minutes, making it impossible to approach Boardman to help him. Reports indicate Boardman probably died within five minutes of the attack.

Back in May of last year we posted about the class-action complaint against Procter & Gamble and its diapers featuring DryMax technology. Many parents grew concerned that diapers featuring DryMax were causing severe skin irritations, including rashes and burns. Pampers is one of the brands that used DryMax.

Well, Procter & Gamble just announced it has agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit. The diaper manufacturer will pay the 59 plaintiffs in the lawsuit $1,000 per child as well as some $2.7 million in attorney fees. P&G will also give $400,000 toward training programs in pediatric skin care. Additional information about diaper rash will be added to the Pampers web site.

Back in March we posted about the audible warning system being tested by TriMet. The system was designed to warn pedestrians of impending turns and such. The transit agency paid $46,000 for the system. Well, after three months of testing TriMet has decided the system isn’t going to work out.

TriMet tested the system on ten buses. Reports were not terribly positive. The warning system didn’t come on when it should have and did come on when it shouldn’t. The system came with a no-return policy, so there goes $46,000. You can read more about the decision here.

Last fall a driver accidentally drove through the window of a restaurant and ended in the middle of the restaurant. Unfortunately, two employees at the restaurant were dragged under the car with him. One employee, 28-year-old Brian Shin, was seriously injured and was hospitalized and in a coma for several weeks.

The restaurant, Wild Wasabe, is in a bustling area in NW Portland. Parking is scarce in the neighborhood, but Wild Wasabe has a parking lot that runs along two sides of the restaurant. Cars park pretty much right up to the building. The 82-year-old driver of the car that crashed through the restaurant mistakenly hit the accelerator when he intended to apply the brakes. He was trying to park his vehicle.

We’ve posted before about the dangers of various varieties of sprouts. They seem to be magnets for E. coli. Now it seems that sprouts are behind the E. coli outbreak in Europe that has thus far killed about 22 people and sickened more than 2,200. Reports indicate that vegetable sprouts from a German organic farm could be to blame.Definitive test results are pending.

The farm stopped operations on Sunday, and all produce grown there was recalled. The vegetable sprouts in question include about a dozen and a half varieties or mixtures. Though they were not grown using any manure, a common practice with organic farms and one that has been guilty of causing some E. coli outbreaks, they were grown with steam in barrels, which provide conditions conducive to bacteria growth.

TriMet is not the only transit agency in the nation with some distracted drivers. A wrongful-death lawsuit was just filed against San Francisco transit agency Muni. In April of 2010 pedestrian Scott Whitsett was killed while crossing Mission Street, a busy street in the city. The suit alleges that the driver of the bus was momentarily distracted because she was busy unwrapping a candy bar. When she noticed Whitsett walking in front of the bus, she accidentally accelerated when she intended to apply the brakes. As a result, Whitsett was pinned against another Muni bus and killed.

Sheriffs in Marin County, CA, may think twice before pulling out their Taser stun guns now. Peter McFarland, a 66-year-old resident of West Marin, just won a $1.9 million settlement against Marin County over a June 2009 incident in which McFarland was shot repeatedly by a stun gun. McFarland sued for use of excessive force. Marin County chose to settle rather than go to trial.

For as many bad stories one hears about the police, there are just as many good stories, right? We all want to trust the police and believe they have the community’s best interests at heart. Police officers should also be approachable. Sadly, Officer Aaron Dauchy of the Portland Police was not very approachable when he was approached by concerned citizen Shei’Meka Newmann.

File this one under the practically unbelievable category. Just over a year ago a police officer in Gilbert, AZ, was shot and killed during a traffic stop. The shooter was the passenger in the vehicle. The driver then fled the scene and engaged the police in a high-speed chase. During the chase the passenger threw objects at the police cars in pursuit. The chase ended some 50 miles later when the vehicle ran out of gas. The driver and the passenger then hid behind their vehicle wihle the passenger shot at the police. The police returned fire, and the driver and passenger were shot in the legs.

You know how a lot of people complain about frivolous lawsuits? Well, listen to this story and decide if you think it’s a frivolous lawsuit. Vitaliy Suzhik of Federal Way, WA, has filed a lawsuit against Hansen Beverage Company for negligence and product liability. Suzhik claims he discovered a mouse in a 16-ounce can of Monster Energy Drink. He alleges that as he drank from the can, “debris and gunk” entered his mouth, and when he peered into the can, he saw a tail. He went to the emergency room at St. Francis Hospital and was told he would be fine.