The Hanford Sentinel from Hanford, California • 4

PAGE FOUR Page 4 Tuesday, June 25, 1985 The Hanford Sentinel Lawsuit over baby carrier settled out of court By JIM GRAHAM Sentinel Staff Writer The parents of a 13-year-old girl who was permanently disabled in a 1971 auto accident have reached an out-of-court settlement with the company that made the safety seat in which the girl was riding. Hanford Attorney Robert Dowd announced this morning that Charles R. Schleininger, father of Cynthia Dawn Schleininger, had reached a settlement with Questor parent organization of the Infaseat which was the focus of a $10 million liability suit in 1981. The out-of-court agreement, reached last week, will allow Cynthia to be moved out of a state institution to a private care home in Fresno and will set up a $600,000 fund which will be drawn from to allow her to live in the home for the rest of her life, Dowd said. The payout could total more than $20 million over the course of Cynthia's lifetime.

Dowd said in a phone interview this morning. "We think it's a super deal." he said. "We're very pleased with the result. The parents are happy with the settlement. It achieves what they were most interested in." Cynthia suffered extensive brain damage as the result of the July 12.

1971 accident at the intersection of Grangeville Boulevard and 13th Avenue. The suit. which sought about $5 million in special damages. $5 million in general damages and an unspecified amount i in punitive damages. was filed to determine if Questor could be held liable for injuries the child received.

Cynthia was riding in one of the company's molded plastic baby carriers during the accident. Jurors in the original trial ruled in favor of Questor Corp. in July. 1981. after a 36-day trial that included testimony from 35 witnesses and some of the nation's leading experts in physical rehabilitation.

marketing. crash testing. traffic accident reconstruction. engineering and economics. Charles Schleininger appealed the case to the Fifth District Court of Appeals.

which overturned the Superior Court decision 112 vears ago and ordered a new trial. Dowd said. Attorneys for Questor reportedly had offered the family about $2 million to settle out of court before the jury reached its verdict in the 1981 case. which Dowd said could be the longest civil suit in 1 Kings County history. The case originally was filed in Los Island District's budget shrinks employees with the district's initial contract proposal.

which includes holding the line on pay increases. and allowing employees to pick up the cost of any increases in health insurance. A new provision. subject to negotiation says Bates. would institute formal, annual evaluations of classified employees and the stipulation that 'We have some budgetary -Tom Bates only those employees receiving satisfactory or better evaluations would be eligible to receive pay increases.

Bates declined to comment on why the district was seeking to tie pay raises to satisfactory job evaluations. He did say that "the people in the jobs in the past have always done a good job. I haven't had to get after anyone or fire anyone. But when the union came in we had to make some he says. Island's 10 classified employees are in their first year as a certified chapter of California School Employees Association.

Another impending budgetary woe facing Island is a property and liability insurance premium that may double-or increase even higher. Angeles County Superior Court in 1977. It was transferred to Kings County in 1978 on a venue change on the grounds that this was the county where the accident occurred and because many of the witnesses lived in the area. Joyce Schleininger and the driver of the other car. Donald Prys.

were named in the original list of defendents. including the store where the baby carrier was bought. The court already had approved settlements for Mrs. Schleininge and Prys. and the issues in the trial narrowed to those involving the baby carrier manufacturer.

Cynthia was riding next to her mother in the carrier. secured with a seat belt and her head facing the passenger side door. when Mrs. Scheininger swerved to avoid another car which pulled onto Grangeville Boulevard at the 13th Avenue intersection. Her station wagon crashed into a concrete abutment.

The civil suit alleged that Infaseat Co. marketed its infant carrier, widely advertised for years throughout the United States, for use in an automobile "despite its known gross inadequacy for the In 1969. the federal government enacted regulations applying to child car seats, requiring they meet certain standards. The suit charged that Questor discontinued advertising its baby carrier for use as a car seat to avoid the federal regulations and that Questor eventually added a warning sign on the carrier saying it was not usable in a car. The warning signs were not included until almost a year after Cynthia was injured, according to the suit.

Spokesmen for Questor Corp. were unavailable for comment at presstime. Visalian wins new Miss California title By SCOTT TIMMONS Sentinel Staff Writer Declining enrollment at Island School means a cost shrinking budget, and the fewer dollars "won't make our (employee) negotiations any easier," says Superintendent Tom Bates. of Island's average daily attendance (ADA), which fell from 216 last year to this year's 196, is expected to bring down next year's budget by about $16.000 to $551,800, says Bates. "We have some budgetary says Bates, who says that cuts are expected in such areas as contracted services, maintenance, capital outlays, and books and supplies.

Island's payroll makes up at least 65 percent of the budget, but reduction of hours "hasn't been discussed." and layoffs are, at this point, considered "very last thing we'd want to do." he says. Trustees last week presented classified Obituaries J. Jose Blanco J. Jose Blanco, 78, died Sunday in a Hanford convalescent hospital. Born in Mexico, he had lived in Hanford for 35 years and for 20 years was employed as a track man for Santa Fe Railroad.

He was a member of the Spanish Seventhday Adventist Church, the Club Social Beneficario and Sociedad La Edad de Oro, and was an active missionary in the community for many years. Surviving are his wife. Anita: a daughter, Naomi Aguilar of Hanford: a sister. Maria Martinez of Mexico, and four grandchildren. Services will be at 2 p.m.

Wednesday in People's Funeral Chapel. A wake will be at 7 tonight at the chapel. Burial will be in Hanford Cemetery. Bill Pritchard Bill Pritchard. 79.

of Riverdale died Sunday in a Hanford hospital. He was a 73-year-resident of Riverdale, where he was born. He was an oil field worker for Amerada-Hess Petroleum for 40 years and served in the Army during World War II. Surviving are a daughter. Irene Rollston of Placerville: three sisters.

Mae Stough of Aptos, Pearl McKinney of El Centro and Beryl McClain of Washington; five grandchildren. nine great-grandchildren and three greatgreat-grandchildren. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Buchheim Family Riverdale Chapel. Burial will be at Washington Colony Cemetery in Easton.

Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Robert Lee Graves Robert Lee Graves, 81, of Auburry died in Wish-iah on Sunday. A native of Waco, Texas, he had come to California 24 years ago, living in Riverdale for 23 years until moving to Auberry nine months ago. Surviving are seven sons, William and Haskell Graves of Hawthorne, John Graves of Torrance, Robert Graves of Drumright, Thomas Graves of Jackson, S.C..

James Graves of Saudi Arabia and Al Graves of Clovis: two daughters, Patricia Ross of Reno, and Pansy Witt of Jackson, S. 30 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. in the Floral Memorial Park in Selma. Friends may call until 5 p.m.

today at Buchheim Family Riverdale Chapel. Arthur Alexander M. Castro Bates says that based on tentative reports from the district's insurance agent, Dallas Hakanson of Hanford. Island's annual premium might increase from approximately $4.200 to as much as $9,000. In this regard, Island is not alone because property and liability rates for schools are ballooning all over the state.

Island's policy will be up for renewal next month, and Bates says he expects to hear "the final outcome" from Hakanson this week. SANTA CRUZ (UPI) Lisa Davenport of Visalia won the 62nd annual Miss California Scholarship Pageant Monday night while hundreds of demonstrators milled outside police barricades and four were arrested. The "Myth California" protest was led by ex-model Ann Simonton. 33, who wore a costume of strip steaks and said the event degrades women by displaying their bodies as pieces of meat. She and three others among Your Right To Know Hanford Elementary District Trustees of the Hanford Elementary School District will meet in regular session at 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday at the district office. Agenda items include approval of the 1985-86 tentative budget and awarding a lighting bid for Woodrow Wilson Junior High School. Trustees will then adjourn to closed session to interview candidates for the interview candidates for the principal's job at Lincoln School. Arturo Flores, principal of Lincoln for the last three years, will be leaving that post to direct the district's new "professional development department." County board of education Trustees of the Kings County Board of Education will meet in special session at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the county Superintendent of Schools office.

Agenda items include approval of the November board elections for the seats of trustees Preston Green, Jim Focht and Margerie Cummins, approval of the 1985-86 preliminary budget and a closed session on an interdistrict attendance appeal hearing. Markets Hay Grower prices as reported by the Federal-State Market Service for Hanford-CorcoranTulare. June 25: Premium quality hay has disappeared from the market. Good quality hay has met moderate demand at slightly lower prices than last week's. The majority of good hay traded en to $85 a ton.

with some selections elling at $88 to $90 a ton. Less desirable hay was selling at a limited volume at $70 to $75 a ton. HANFORD-CORCORAN-TULARE This Week Last Week Last Year Premium $90-95 Good Fair 1 1-16 1 3-32 1 1-8 Strict middling 62.19 63.94 64.04 Cotton Strict Middling low 61.94 60.44 63.09 62.19 63.79 62.29 middling FRESNO Today's Cotton Exchange quotations all charges f.o.b. compress: ACTION RENT-A-CAR $13.99 PER DAY Plus Mileage CLAY KEN'S Mobile N.E. Corner 10th Ave.

7th St. 584-9613 Arthur Alexander Murillo Castro, son of Roque and Norma Castro of San Joaquin, died Saturday when run over by a van at the home of relatives in Hanford. Born in Hanford. the child was 13 months old. In addition to his 3 parents, the child is survived by two brothers.

Edward Ceballos and Roque Castro and a sister. Rosie Murillo. all of San Joaquin; his grandparents. Carmen Ceballos of San Joaquin, Sarah Castro Berber of Mexico and Ponchano Lopez of Fresno. Services will be at 9 a.m.

Thursday in People's Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Hanford Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the chapel. GET PERSONAL WITH THE BOSS.

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Keith Duel said. The protest has become an annual ritual accompanying the pageant, which may be moved next year. Davenport was the winner of the swimsuit competition. Beth Scott. Brea, was named first runnerup and Lisa Steffensen, Fresno, was second runnerup.

Prison meet in Corcoran CORCORAN-Representatives of the State Department of Corrections will be in Corcoran at 7 p.m. Thursday to solicit public comment about the possible placement of a state correctional facility in the Corcoran area. Project coordinators including Diana Johnson will attend the meeting at the Kate Boswell Senior Center multi-purpose room. DOC officials will provide resource information and answer questions, according to a DOC spokesman. CALL -PRINT 584-PRNT For All Your Custom Printing, Business Cards, Letterhead Invoices, Envelopes copies OVER UPHOLSTERY 20 584-6756 YRS.

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at 418 W. Eighth St. Hanford, California 93230 1984 Hanford Sentinel, Inc. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office of Hanford, California. The Hanford Sentinel is a member of Audit Bureau of Circulations.

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Publisher: Jack Morgan Managing Editor: Paul C. Merz Advertising Director: Derral Hawkins Retail Advertising Manager: Mark Daniel Classified Ad. Manager: Robert Rankin Circulation Director: Andy Ortiz Office Manager: Virginia Belvail Mechanical Superintendent: Bill Theis Pressroom Foreman: Fred Gamble Postmaster: Send address changes to The Hanford Sentinel, P.O. Box 9, Hanford, CA 93232. Low middling 55.24 56.24 56.24 FRESNO Today's closing cotton number 2 futures on the New York Cotton Exchange: Settlement Change July 61.10 Oct.

61.34 Dec. 61.53 March 62.57 May 62.88 Metals Today's gold and silver quotations: London: 315.50 0.50 New York (Handy and Harman): 315.50 0.85 Silver: 6.15 0.005 It's a Fact There are 24 federal Indian reservations in the State of New Mexico. Post-It-Notes Post SAVE 05 attention getting colors different sizes 74 Post it off, leaves no marks, sticks again! IN OFFICE PRODUCTS KAWEAH 101 North Irwin Street 582-9366 Open PM.