Chicago Blue Line customers were taken off an outbound CTA train car when a small fire started underneath one of the cars. Early in the morning there was a report of smoke on the outbound Blue Line train car that was near the UIC Medical Center station. The Chicago Fire Department responded and discovered hat an electrical fire had started in the battery compartment located in the under carriage of the train. The authorities stated that the fire itself was very small but there was a lot of smoke. One person who suffered from asthma was personally injured when she became agitated by the smoke and was treated. Customers were taken off the smoky train and put onto another one while the rail operator assessed the train fire. At this time, no personal injury lawsuits have been filed. To read the full story, click here.
Workers Burned When Working with Power Lines
Two workers contracted by the Illinois Department of Transportation were personally injured and suffered burns when they came into contact with a power line while hoisting a road sign in Deerfield, Illinois. The personal injuries occurred near an Interstate Highway 294 ramp. The workers were burned on their hands, and the extent of their personal injuries is not yet known. Both work for the Oak Brook, Illinois based Highway Technologies. At this time, no worker's compensation lawsuits have been filed. To read the full story, click here.
Electrical wiring suspected in Chicagoland fire that killed 3 kids
A tragic fire occurred last night that reminded the attorneys at Levin & Perconti about a recent premises liability lawsuit we settled for $6 million. Last night, Electrical wiring is suspected in a Chicagoland fire that killed an eight-year old girl and her two brothers, ages three and one. The fire occurred in a housing complex in southwest suburban Chicago. The mother may have fallen asleep while a candle was burning and was injured and listed in good condition.
The fire began shortly before midnight in the ground-floor living room of a three-bedroom apartment. Firefighters arrived in less than six minutes, but could not rescue the children. The fire was too intense for the firefighters to enter the building.
Residents expressed anger with the Housing Authority of Cook County, which manages the complex. An electrical fire forced a woman living two units east of the fire from her home just a month prior. Residents state that the Housing Authority have not maintained the building properly.
The tragic death of three kids in a fire that may have been preventable reminds the attorneys at Levin & Perconti of a premises liability lawsuit stemming from the death of six children in a tragic apartment fire. Two other children sustained burns in that fire. The landlords of that building failed to have proper and working smoke detectors. Levin & Perconti obtained a $6 million settlement for the survivors of the fire.
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Chicago Loop Fire Causes Injuries
Four people were rushed to area hospitals and treated for injuries Wednesday after a fire erupted on the rooftop of 45-story Loop office tower at 500 W. Monroe in Chicago, Illinois. Faulty electrical wiring caused the loop high-rise fire that prompted hundreds of workers to evacuate the downtown office building, leaving at least four injured.
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Jumper cables cause injury
Valucraft made a serious mistake in manufacturing their jumper cables. Valucraft BC10, BC8 Booster Cables Certain Valucraft 8 and 10 gauge booster cables imported and sold by Autozone as aftermarket equipment used to jump start automobiles and other motorized equipment including motorcycles, ATVs, boats, and lawn equipment having discharged batteries. These battery cables are either stamped 8GA or 10GA. Some of these cables were assembled incorrectly. On one of the cables, the red clamp was attached to the negative side and the black clamp was attached to the positive side. This may result in reverse polarity. Reverse polarity has the potential to cause damage to the vehicle battery as well as property damage and personal injury. A vehicle's battery may burst under these conditions.
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Settlement of $6 million announced in tragic fire that claimed the lives of six Chicago children
A $6 million settlement was announced today by John J. Perconti and Patricia M. Gifford of Chicago personal injury firm Levin & Perconti for the deaths of six children and for the injuries of two children on September 3, 2006 in a Rogers Park apartment fire. The settlement was approved by Judge Elizabeth Budzinski today in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Ramirez and Ramos families. Augusta & Amado Ramirez lost five children in the fire, Kevin, Idaly, Sucette, Erik and Vanessa Ramirez and two other children, William and Natali Ramirez suffered severe burn injuries. A settlement was also reached on behalf of the Ramos family for the death of their daughter, Scarlet Ramos.
On September 3, 2006, a fire broke out at 7706 North Marshfield in Rogers Park claiming the lives of six innocent children and severely injuring two others. Five of the Ramirez children and the Ramos’ only daughter perished in this fire.
A personal injury lawsuit and a wrongful death lawsuit were filed on September 21, 2006 on behalf of the Ramirez and Ramos families against Marshway Limited Partnership, Marshway, L.L.C., and CIG Management L.L.C.
Press Conference scheduled for Rogers Park fire case
A press conference has been scheduled to formally announce the settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed after a Rogers Park fire killed six children ranging from three to fourteen years of age. The fire broke out in one of the several low-income buildings owned by Cornerstone Residential, LLC. The building did not have working smoke detectors.
The conference is scheduled for 10:30 am on November 13, 2007, at Levin & Perconti, the law firm that represented the victim’s families.
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Contractor had been fined numerous times before 5 men recently died in a fire
Five workers were recently killed at a hydroelectric plant when a fire erupted. The men died of smoke inhalation. The contractor, RPI Coating, had been fined 90 times since 1988, with fines totaling $135,569. The company had also been fined numerous times, for hundreds of thousands of dollars, for violating hazardous waste rules. The plant is owned by Xcel Energy, and some people have been questioning the company's decision to hire RPI despite the numerous fines and citations relating to safety. The men that died in the fire range from 18-years-old to 52-years-old. Numerous other workers were injured in the fire. No personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits have been filed as of yet.
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American Airlines fined over $200,000 for safety violations
American Airlines in Chicago, Illinois has been fined over $200,000 for safety violations at O’Hare Airport. The violations run from concerns over machine guards, electrical safety, trip and fall hazards, blocked exits, and improper storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders. The hazards all pose serious risks of personal injury and workplace injury to employees of American Airlines, as well as other employees and patrons of the airport.
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Gateway issues laptop battery recall
Gateway yesterday announced a recall of some of the lithium ion battery packs for its notebook computers. The Gateway battery recall is due to faulty Sony batteries, which were the subject of previously issued recalls by Dell, Apple, and Toshiba. This most recent recall warns, "Under certain conditions, these battery packs can overheat and create a potential fire hazard."
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Click here for Gateway battery recall information
Personal injury lawsuit blames Xbox 360 for fatal Illinois fire
An Illinois family has filed a product liability lawsuit after an Xbox overheated, resulting in a house fire that killed an infant. The family of the deceased infant claims that the power supply of the Xbox overheated and sparked the fatal flames. Around the time of the fire, Microsoft issued a Xbox product recall, citing concerns regarding the product's safety.
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