Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

At least 16 people were hospitalized after a wooden footbridge collapsed at the conclusion of a fireworks celebration at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville, about 45 minutes south of Chicago.

Media reports were unclear about whether it was a public park. But injured participants could have a premise liability claim against the park owner or the company that provided the fireworks display.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene, estimating that the roughly 90-foot-long bridge was full of people before it fell, according to the Associated Press as reported by Fox News.

While authorities have released few other details, it is possible that event organizers allowed far too many people onto the 90-foot wooden brindge, which collapsed about 10 p.m., just as the grand finale concluded, sending people plummeting into the water below.

A dive team was called in to pull people and items from the water and the investigation continued through the weekend. There were estimates that thousands had attended the annual fireworks display at the park in years past.

"They had to rescue quite a few people," Ross Township firefighter Perry Herzog said in a newspaper account.

Herzog said 16 people were transported to local hospitals for treatment. He said others might have been taken to hospitals by family members.

He did not know the nature of their injuries, and said there were no fatalities in the accident. About 50 emergency vehicles responded to the scene, along with helicopter and dive teams.

Robert Walker, of Merrillville, blamed the collapse on the number of people crossing the bridge.

"It was a mass of confusion," he said. "People were walking across the bridge when it collapsed. People were grasping and hanging onto the bridge itself."

Continue reading "Bridge collpase at fireworks show sends at least 16 to the hospital" »

A Galeana man injured in a fall in a high school construction site accident has been awarded the highest jury verdict ever rendered in Jo Daviess County.

William Theiss, 52, was awarded $1.9 million after the two-week trial, which centered on the April 2003 accident at River Ridge High School in Hanover. Thiess was working as a painter when he toppled off a 15-foot-high lift -- he tripped on a chain serving as a substituted for the safety-mandated guardrails, according to a story in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

Theiss has undergone 16 surgeries after crushing his foot, ankle and heel. Doctors told him he can no longer stand for more than an hour at a time and confined him to light duty. He sued the construction management company, Hoffman Construction Company, and the drywall contractor, CIDAC Inc.

"I've worked on these kind of lifts all my life, so I just assumed it was safe," Theiss said. "I was just doing the job I'd been doing my whole life."

The jury found Theiss 30 percent at fault, which resulted in reducing his original $2.8 million award to $1.9 million. They awarded Theiss $777,660 for wage loss, $791,667 for pain and suffering, $625,000 for disability, $279,167 for disfigurement, $339,000 for medical bills and $27,000 for prescription orthotics for his heel.

"I wouldn't say that it makes me forget about the last few years, but at least now I'm not going to have to worry about paying my electric bill," he said. "But it's not going to be life on easy street for me. There are a lot of bills to pay."

The largest sum previously awarded for a personal injury in the county was $1.05 million after a man sustained serious brain injuries following a tractor-car collision.

Continue reading "Illinois painter awarded $1.9 millon for injuries in fall at construction site" »

Chicago accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled a trip and fall claim against a Jewel Food Store in Highland Park, Illinois for a fall down injury that occurred on June 22, 2008. Our client had just parked her car and was about to walk into the store when her foot got caught in a broken and/or significantly uneven portion of the sidewalk that lead into the grocery store, causing her to fall forward onto her left hand and sustain injuries.

Our client did not see the uneven sidewalk because it was obscured in the shadow of a pillar holding up the overhang in front of the store. She was also looking forward towards the entrance doors of the store, and was distracted by the heavy congestion of scattered shopping carts in the area and other patrons entering and exiting the store. After her fall, a store manager came outside to talk to her. The manager admitted that this was not the first time someone had tripped on this area of the uneven sidewalk.

Our client went to a local hospital for left hand, wrist, and shoulder pain. After history and examination diagnostics tests were ordered, x-rays were conducted, which indicated a displaced fracture at the base of the proximal phalanx of the small finger on her left hand (fracture at the base of her left pinky finger). She was placed in a splint, her arm was placed in a sling, and she was prescribed pain medications and instructed to seek follow up care.

A couple days later, our client continued to suffer from severe pain in her left hand and sought follow up care. During her follow up, another x-ray was performed which again identified a displaced left pinky finger fracture. She was then placed in a cast over her left hand, wrist, and forearm. As the fracture began to heal, our client was eventually taken out of the cast, placed in a splint and began a course of physical therapy. Our client incurred over $4,000.00 in medical bills. The case settled for $15,500.

Often, premises liability cases can be complicated and difficult to prevail in. The fact that our client fell and was injured was not enough to have a claim. Liability was created here because the property owner had actual notice of the uneven or broken sidewalk and failed to act to fix it.

Chicago slip and fall lawyers from our firm handle all kinds of injuries resulting from Illinois premises liability cases, including broken bones and back and neck injuries. If you have sustained a slip & fall injury, please contact Abels & Annes, P.C. for a free consultation.

Cook County and Chicago Area, Illinois car and truck accident attorneys could be busy over the next weeks after heavy snow falls. Traffic times are terrible and vehicles are sliding all over the roads. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has issued multiple warnings to be very careful on the roads and to leave yourself additional time to get where you are going.

It took me close to 2 hours to travel from downtown to the North suburbs in yesterday's commute and it took me 90 minutes to get downtown today (and I left for work at 5:45 am).

If involved in an auto accident, click here to visit our website for suggestions on what to do after a collision.

The Illinois State Police is reporting that yesterday there was a 7 car pile up on Interstate 90 just west of Plaines that was caused when a Chicago resident pulled over in the far left land to wipe snow from his windshield. A Palatine resident was injured and taken to Alexian Brothers Hospital. No other injuries were reported.

I am guessing that there will be multiple reports of accidents in Northern Illinois as snow continues to fall.

Continue reading "Chicago, Illinois Personal Injury Lawyers May Be Very Busy With Auto Accidents As Heavy Snow Arrives" »

Chicago injury attorneys from David Abels & Associates, P.C. have reached a premises liability settlement in DuPage County, Illinois. Our client was injured when she tripped and fell on a pothole in the parking lot at the Fountaindale Public Library, Bolingbrook, Illinois. She sustained a mild wrist fracture in the fall. She was taken to Adventist Bolingbrook Medical Center and followed up with Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. She incurred around $5,000 in medical bills. The DuPage County trip and fall case settled for $15,000. The defendant was insured by the Hartford.

The photo below shows the condition of the parking lot. The pothole was not that wide, but it was over eight inches in depth. If you look closely at the photo, the pothole is filled with water. That made it hard for my client to see the dangerous condition.

Continue reading "DuPage County, Illinois Premises Liability Settlement Reached by Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers" »

A Wheaton, Illinois Accident Attorney has received a good jury verdict in a premises liability case, according to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. The plaintiff fell and was hurt while bowling. It was alleged that the oil used to condition the bowling lane was too close to the foul line and the warning signs were not adequate. The plaintiff sustained a right broken leg. The defendant argued that the accident probably occurred because the plaintiff went over the foul line and then slipped.

Prior to trial, the plaintiff demanded $36,000 to settle and the defendant offered $24,000. The jury awarded $99,600 (after 40% off of $166,000 for comparative fault).

Taking this case to trial took a little "chutzpah" on the part of the plaintiff's attorney. Slip and fall, premises liability cases are often difficult to win at trial. Further, this verdict was in DuPage County where verdicts tend to be a little conservative compared to Cook or Will County. A lot of lawyers would have taken this case, but not many would have been thrilled about taking it to trial.

Continue reading "DuPage County, Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer Gets Good Verdict in Slip And Fall Case" »