News digest News digest (January 09, 2004)

Lawsuit beginning over broken wheelchair lift

A lawsuit filed by Joe Villareal, a politically active Palo Alto resident, over an allegedly faulty wheelchair lift at Rinconada Pool will go to trial next week.

Villareal's lawsuit alleges the lift broke as he was preparing to enter the pool on May 30, 2001. A bolt broke apart, "flying into the pool," causing the lift's seat to fall to the ground, taking Villareal with it, according to his attorney, Paul Van Der Walde.

Since the incident, Villareal suffered a "series of debilitating consequences," including an endless cycle of spasms and pain, the attorney said.

The city admits it's at fault, and the only remaining question is how much money Villareal will get, Van Der Walde said.

The city attorney's office did not return a call for comment as of press time. Van Der Walde would not say exactly how much they are requesting, but pointed out that Villareal's future related medical expenses will be in the "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

The trial begins Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose. -- Bill D'Agostino

Shuttle operators to crack down on overcrowding Shuttle operators to crack down on overcrowding (January 09, 2004)

Responding to concerns that too many students were packing the city's free shuttles, officials are asking operators to limit the number of people who stand on the bus during rides.

Palo Alto resident, and frequent shuttle passenger, Seth Yatovitz was among those who complained to the city about the situation.

"It was actually frightening at times because these kids would just pack in like sardines," Yatovitz said of Palo Alto High School students traveling on the Embarcadero Shuttle.

Students have been warned, during announcements at school, to aim for earlier trips in the morning to ensure 0n-time arrivals, noted Gayle Likens, the shuttle's manager.

Each vehicle holds more than 30 people. Schedules and route maps can be found at www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/shuttle.

--Bill D'Agostino
Blood banks issue appeal

Bay Area blood banks, including the Stanford Blood Center, have issued an emergency appeal for donors because of dwindling supplies.

"The situation is extremely critical here," said Mike Sage from the Stanford Blood Center. "If there are any significant trauma cases, it would be difficult to supply the needed blood."

Stanford Blood Center can be reached at (888) 723-7831 and at http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu.

-- Don Kazak

E-mail a friend a link to this story.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]