Free Republic

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The top of Mark Rush’s head was covered in a cap, keeping the results of a near fatal gunshot wound a tantalizing secret. But when he finally removed the hat Monday afternoon to reveal his skull, there was no trace of the 52 stitches doctors used to sew his scalp back together earlier this month. There was barely even a scar. Rush’s neurologist says the same thing every time the two get together, Rush said: “Damn, you’re lucky.” Rush, 57, was painting a shirt earlier this month when a young man crept onto his property. Rush...

Lawsuits seeking millions in damages have been filed in federal court in Victoria by survivors of seven illegal immigrants who died in Victoria County's infamous 2003 human-smuggling case. The suits allege that the Savanna, Ga.-based Great Dane trailers, manufacturer of the trailer in which the immigrants rode during their ill-fated journey from the Mexican border, failed to install escape latches inside the fully insulated refrigerator trailer, which had no ventilation system. The oversight left the trapped occupants with no access to fresh air, no means of escape, and placed them in danger of suffocation and death, the suits claim. The...