Newsday from New York, New York • 3

An Abridged Bridge Check Inspectors: We Did What We Were Told By Molly Gordy Ammann Whitney, the engineering firm whose 1984 inspection of the Williamsburg Bridge failed to uncover serious corrosion problems, has confirmed that it had not done a full and thorough review of the bridge. first inspection in 1979, the Highway Administration had not established requirements for flag conditions those that represent danger to the traveling public if not repaired. Stahl said the inspection served as a guideline for 1984 inspection. But we were never, asked to do one, the firms chief engineer, Frank Stahl, said in a telephone interview Friday. If you look at our contract with the state, you will see it clearly assigns us to do a hands-on inspection only of problem areas we had identified in 1979.

Everything else we just looked at visually. The city of Transportation is investigating why Ammann Whitneys 1984 inspection failed to uncover the serious corrosion problems that prompted the closing of the Wil- liamsburg Bridge for safety reasons bn April 12. The problems were identified earlier this year by Steinman, Boynton, Gronquist Birdsall, a second engineering firm brought in by the state at the citys request The state is responsible for ensuring that every bridge in the state receives an in-depth inspection, every two to three years. Generally, all other bridge functions are left to local governments. How- responsibilities for the citys four East River bridges in 1978 when the city had neither the funds nor the manpower to administer the bridges.

Two lanes of the Williamsburg Bridge reopened on May 26, but the bridge remains partly closed for repairs to more than 400 areas flagged as dangerous to the traveling public. Ammann Whitneys 1984 inspection identified only three such conditions. When Ammann Whitney did its ever, the state assumed administrative Federal yet so-called immediately 1979 the The state, which also has hired Ammann Whitney to design a five-year rehabilitation program for the Williamsburg, said it has no plans to sue the firm. In fact, state DOT spokeswoman Phyllis Hirschberg said the state has recently hired Ammann Whitney to inspect the Brooklyn Bridge. We have no indication that Ammann Whitney did a less-than-thor-ough job, she stud.

The citys chief bridge engineer, Please see BRIDGE on Page 16 Judge Leaves Bronx DA Race By Leonard Levitt A judge designated last week by Bronx Democrats as their choice for district attorney mysteriously withdrew her candidacy yesterday. The sudden and as yet unexplained withdrawal of Bronx Civil Court Judge Peggy Bemheim could result in Democratic Party backing for incumbent Bronx District Attorney Paul Gentile, whom the party rejected less than a week ago. She said it was for personal reasons. I know something personal and serious led to her decision, Bronx Democratic Party Chairman George Friedman What a ludicrous situation. I have no idea what I will do.

I dont know what will happen. Friedman announced the Bern-heims selection only last Wednesday. Bemheim did not return telephone calls left with her answering service. Friedman spent yesterday interviewing and reviewing the credentials of at least seven potential district attorney candidates who the party could endorse. However, he said that three The catalog entry for the Mirade Recreation play sets describes it as surpassing proposed safety standards." Legal Merry-Go-Round Case Highlights Lack of Data Sharing fr I I Please see BRONX on Page 35 ISECRETSI This story is the second in an occasional series on the issue of legal secrecy.

rious injuries. Yet because information about those legal claims remains ly in the hands of companies and lawyers, sometimes as a condition for settlement, regulators are kept in the dark with often disastrous results for the public. One example: Accutane, the antiacne drug linked to birth defects, has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, some dating back to the products introduction in 1982. Indeed, one of those actions showed that physicians were improperly prescribing the drug to pregnant women. But government regulators werent aware of the scope of the problem and are only now taking action to tighten those prescription guidelines.

A similar scenario unfolded in the case of an upstate New York company called BemzOmatic, which is now urging the public to stop using two models of camping heaters it once manufactured. It took nearly two decades, federal officials say, before they became aware that the heaters had been impli- By Barry Meier In 1969, the Miracle Recreation Equipment Co. started selling what it promised was a childs delight a playground merry-go-round that bounced up and down as it whirled. Miracles Bounce-Around Whirl turned out to be a menace. It chopped off two of Rebecca Walshs fingers.

It cut through the legs of Larry Espinoza and Dale Likens, crushing bones and nearly crippling them for life. And it injured at least 75 other children whose average age was 4 to 5 years old. Today, 19 years after the first Bounce-Around Whirl was sold, Miracle stands accused by the U.S. Department of Justice hiding these tragedies from federal safety regulators. But the companys alleged failure to inform authorities of its products dangers a charge Miracle vigorously denies isnt the only reason safety watchdogs werent aware of the problem.

Although dozens of lawyers brought claims against Miracle over the course of 13 years, only one, court records indicate, alerted federal officials. Regulators, faced with the Reagan admimstra- CO turn's pro-business posture, decided not to take full advantage of a 1980 plan that gave them access to a lawsuit database that included information about legal actions against Miracle. And the lawsuits themselves, most settled out of court, didnt automatically trigger an alarm, because, as with most product-safety cases, they were filed one at a time in courthouses scattered from Montana to Florida. The Miracle case is hardly unique. Scores of other dangerous products, many still on the market, are the subject of lawsuits that allege deaths or se- Judge Peggy Bemheim Please see SECRET on Page 20.