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Burn Injuries Sustained by Chicago Baby Living in Public Housing Raises Issue of Maintenance Lapses

A few months ago, the Chicago Housing Authority settled a personal injury lawsuit involving a female infant who sustained serious burn injuries while living in the city?s public housing. In 2004, Jasmine Watson had rolled off a bed and landed on a hot radiator coil that had a broken cover.

The incident took place in at the Harold Ickes Homes located on the Chicago South Side. Jasmine?s grandmother, who was the tenant registered with the CHA, says that the radiators have been defective for years even though the malfunction has been noted during yearly unit inspections.

The CHA was unable to come up with inspection documents for years past, but a notice from just two months before the accident does report that there were defective radiator covers.

Jasmine, who is now five, has permanent scars from the Chicago premises liability accident. She will have to wait until she is older before she undergoes more medical procedures to treat her injuries.

The injuries to minor lawsuit was settled for $225,000. However, the CHA has never admitted fault.

Since 2000, the CHA has been named in over 180 premises liability complaints by residents that have to live with chronic living conditions, including rats, defective appliances, leaks, roaches, mold, defective lighting, hazardous stairwells, and sewage issues. These problems make for poor living conditions and dangerous hazards that can cause personal injury or wrongful death accidents.

Premises Liability
Chicago landlords and property managers are obligated to make sure that they repair all maintenance issues and get rid of any hazardous conditions on a premise. Common grounds for premises liability claims include:

? Inadequate security
? Improper maintenance
? Slip and fall
? Hazardous or unsafe conditions

CHA accident burns girl, raises maintenance questions, Chi-Town Daily News, February 9, 2009

Premises Liability Overview, Justia

Related Web Resources:
Chicago Housing Authority

Buildings closed at Ickes Homes, Chicago Journal, January 21, 2009

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on February 10, 2009 (boomark / email).