Our Chicago personal injury attorneys, Steven Levin and Michael Bonamarte, recently helped the family of a victim of a wrongful death reach a $975,000 settlement after the victim fell off of a porch, where the railing was not up code, and then later died as a result of his personal injuries. The mother of the victim brought the wrongful death lawsuit against the management company of the building where the porch was located, alleging that because of the management company’s negligence the young man fell onto the concrete below (from two stories up) and then died as a result of his severe head and brain injuries. The tragic fall occurred in the summer of 2007, while the victim was hanging out on the porch at his girlfriend’s apartment in downtown Chicago, and the victim died as a result of his injuries in January of 2008.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the management company for the girlfriend’s building failed to keep the premises in a reasonable and safe condition, and because of this failure, the victim fell from the porch. The lawsuit was filed in January of 2008, but the settlement was just this week approved for $975,000 for the family of the victim. The mother of the victim filed this lawsuit against the building managers with the hope of saving other families from having to go through the pain and the suffering that she has had to deal with as a result of her son’s untimely death. Building managers and landlords of all buildings have certain responsibilities and certain duties that are owed to the tenants, and to the tenant’s guests, and when this level of care is not met, the parties responsible must be held liable for the damage that results. When a building has a balcony and porch with a railing, that railing must be up to code and safe for people to stand near it, and it is the building managements or landlord’s duty to make sure that the railing is up to code and is safe to stand near. In this specific instance, the lawsuit alleged that the railing was ten inches shorter than the mandatory railing height requirement that is set out by the city of Chicago.
This case, like far too many other personal injury lawsuits, could easily have been avoided if the management company had not acted negligently in maintaining the building they were responsible for. Because of the company’s negligence, this young man died and his family has to deal with pain of losing their son when he was so young. If you or a loved one suffered a personal injury from a fall, or if someone you loved died as a result of a management company or landlord’s negligence, please do not hesitate to contact our Illinois personal injury lawyers today. Our attorneys have helped out clients all over Illinois, including this mother who lost her young son, and our attorneys are here to talk to you about your case and help to see what possible next steps you should take and what options are available to you and your family.
