A death investigation is being conducted after a 56 year-old Chicago man fell three stories to his death from his porch. The man was deceased by the time the paramedics responded.
To read more about the Chicago man’s death.
A 61 year-old Chicago man died Monday night after falling seven stories down a Chicago elevator shaft. The Chicago injury victim was discovered at the bottom of the shaft. Witnesses saw the man walk into the open elevator on the seventh floor and plummet to his death.
To read more about the Chicago elevator wrongful death.
A Chicago personal injury law firm obtained a substantial verdict last week in a trip and fall lawsuit that occurred near a coin operated merry-go-round at a mall. The rubber edging of the platform caused the personal injury plaintiff to fall due to negligent design, maintenance, or construction. The case was tried in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Nearly twenty-five people went to area hospitals with personal injuries following a fireworks show on Saturday night in Merrillville, Indiana. The bridge collapsed following a structural failure of the footbridge. Luckily, there were no fatalities reported. As many as 150 people may have been on the bridge designed only to hold 40 people.
To read more about the Merrillville bridge collapse.
Records from a premises liability lawsuit involving the collapse of a different building constructed by the same company shed new light on last month’s Cowboys facility collapse. In that premises lawsuit, the company was ordered to pay about $3.5 million in damages.
To read more about the company’s prior premise liability.
Jurors have awarded $10.2 million to a 28 year-old personal injury victim who was left a quadriplegic when he was stabbed with an ice pick and stomped in the neck in a brawl watched by a security guard who took no action. The jurors found that the security company was negligent and that its negligence caused the victim’s personal injuries.
To read more about the $10.2 million personal injury verdict.
A woman who claims that she received personal injuries after a pack of wild dogs that chased her through a local BP facility has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the refinery and its manager. The lawsuit states that she sustained multiple injuries because of the animal attack.
To read more about the animal attack.
The death of a temporary Wal-Mart worker trampled by customers on Black Friday could have been avoided. A union that represents retail workers said that the incident was avoidable if there were safety barriers, security, and foresight in the dangerous numbers of customers barreling down on the store in an unsafe matter. This wrongful death was a direct result of irresponsibility by Wal-Mart, the union rep said. A wrongful death lawsuit or a premises liability lawsuit may result.
For the full article.
The family of the woman killed when a Big Dig tunnel collapsed have settled a wrongful death lawsuit for more than $28 million. The woman was killed in 2006 when part of a tunnel ceiling collapsed on her car. The settlement resolves wrongful death claims against all fifteen defendants.
For the full article.
According to an Illinois products liability lawsuit filed in Illinois, Toys R Us has been ordered to release a list of people who have been injured in its store since 2001 to a plaintiff in an Illinois personal injury lawsuit. According to the Illinois judge, Toys R Us did not demonstrate a need for a protective order.
For the full article.
An elderly couple in Frankfort, a suburb of Chicago, IL, died when their house violently exploded. The blast also destroyed the house next door; knocking neighbors out of bed and blowing open their front doors. Although one person was in the house, he did not sustain any personal injuries. Neighbors stated that the blast sounded like a plane was crashing. The victims bodies were found in the debris. Officials have shut off all natural gas on the block where the explosion occurred and two neighboring blocks as well. All three blocks have been evacuated. Six houses surrounding the exploding house have suffered major damage and five have suffered minor damage. Although Nicor workers were on the scene, no one can officially say the explosion was caused by natural gas. At this point, no lawsuits have been filed. To read the full story, click here.
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.
For the full article.
A Chicago man died after falling from a second-floor balcony of his residence in Roscoe Village. The fall caused multiple injuries which resulted in his ultimate death. He had fallen from the balcony and landed on his head, but when police arrived at the scene he had no visible injuries. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death accidental, but there is no word yet whether there were any safety defects with the balcony. Read more here.
The tragic Cook County office building fire is set to begin in Chicago on April 22 after some delay. The office building fire resulted in the death of six people and injuries to more than two dozen others in 2003 when they were locked in a smoke-filled stairwell. The plaintiffs and victims’ family members hope that a fair settlement can be reached before trial. The trial will involve three wrongful death claims and four personal injury claims. Attorneys for the victims plan to show how rescuers disregarded victims trapped in the stairwells.
For more, please click here.
At a news conference this morning, the lawfirm of Levin & Perconti announced that a Cook County judge has accepted a $6 million settlement figure in the Rogers Park fire that was one of the deadliest fires in recent Chicago history. Yadira Ramirez spoke on behalf of her family and the emotional struggles that they have been going through since she lost five siblings in a single blaze. In tears, Ms. Ramirez explained, “Every time we see a family, we remember everything.”
The fire also took the life of a sixth child, the only daughter of Maria Ramos. The wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the low-income building claimed that the building had faulty smoke detectors that did not sound when the fire started. The source of the fire is believed to have been a candle. The Ramirez family could not afford to pay their electric bill and was using candles to light their apartment at night.
Click here for the full article.
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.
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.
Click here for the full article.
A $960,000 personal injury settlement was made on the behalf of an 88-year-old man who was severely burned in his shower. The man was showering when the water became extremely hot - 180 degrees - causing him to fall in the tub. The man was bed-ridden for months to treat burns on his arms, legs, abdomen and groin. The owners of the building, the plumbers who installed the thermostat and the agency that supplied the nurse who was supposed to be helping the man bathe were all payees on the settlement.
Click here for the full article
The Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled against St. Louis in the city’s attempts to force lead paint manufacturers to contribute to the cost of lead paint cleanup. Although lead paint has been banned since 1978 because of its tendency to cause health and developmental problems in children, many older homes still contain it. In a divided ruling, the Supreme Court decided that the city could not hold the manufacturers responsible because an inability to positively identify the paint used in a given home. The majority ruling claimed that because the city’s lawsuit was not a public health matter, and because the city cannot positively identify the products used, the city should pay for cleanup. The dissenting opinion, however, stated that the case is a public health issue because the paint is hazardous, and all manufacturers of the paint should have to contribute, regardless of whether the paint could be identified in certain homes.
Click here for the full article
An improperly fastened ATM machine at a Chicago area CVS store fell and caused injuries to a plaintiff’s foot. The personal injury lawsuit was filed recently, citing CVS’ failure to maintain the machine as evidence of premises liability.
Click here for the full article
The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.
