A newsletter roundup of recent news stories, including a $3 million settlement for a Los Angeles bicyclist, a report on patient identification errors in hospitals, and ongoing traffic safety issues in Los Angeles.

1. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 10/5/16
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Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
1. L.A. settles cyclist’s case for $3 million
Adapted from L.A. Times, 9/29/16
On September 28, the Los Angeles City Council approved a $3 million settlement to a bicyclist left
with permanent injuries following a 2010 car crash. Rabbi Shelaim Furst was bicycling along Victory
Boulevard when a car struck him from behind, according to court papers. Driver Antoine Shehata was
allegedly attempting to change lanes and get on the freeway. Furst slammed into the vehicle’s
windshield before being thrown 27 feet into the street. Furst allegedly suffered permanent brain
injuries and memory loss as a result of the collision. An attorney for Furst alleged the road conditions
were at least partially responsible for his client’s injuries, specifically charging the city had allowed
Victory Blvd. to fall into disrepair, and that posted bike route signs provided bicyclists with a false sense
of security.
2. Wrong-Patient Errors Called Common
Adapted from Wall Street Journal, 9/26/16
Patient identification mix-ups in hospitals are disturbingly common, according to a report by
nonprofit research group ECRI Institute. The report examined 7,613 cases of wrong-patient errors that
occurred at 181 health-care institutions from January 2013 to July 2015. While safety initiatives at
hospitals have led to improvements, there are more opportunities for patient identification mix-ups due
to the rising number of tests, procedures and transitions throughout the system, said patient-safety
researcher Hardeep Singh of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. Fortunately, 91% of mix-ups
studied in the report were discovered before they resulted in patient harm. Two of the mix-ups were
fatal, while others could have been fatal if they were not identified in time.
3. Officials riff on traffic safety
Adapted from L.A. Times, 9/26/16
Pedestrians and cyclists account for half of the roughly 225 people killed on Los Angeles city streets
every year, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a meeting, city councilors lambasted the dangerous
habits of both drivers and pedestrians. Specifically, council members complained of pedestrians
wearing headphones and texting in crosswalks, and of traffic apps such as Waze that distract drivers
and send them down unfamiliar streets. A 2015 report by the Dept. of Transportation found police
officers are often unable to use radars or lasers to catch drivers who speed on city streets because of a
lack of up-to-date current engineering surveys.

2. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 10/5/16
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
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