Personal Injury Law

Chicago porch railing safety could be a matter of life and death

Chicago CBS2 investigators have recently talked to a mother of a young man who died after falling off of a Lincoln Park deck in 2007. Chicago personal injury lawyer Steven M. Levin was also interviewed during the report. The mother of the Chicago wrongful death victim highlighted the importance of the height of porch railings. The railing accident that fatally injured her son happened four years after the infamous porch collapse that killed thirteen people. The city responded to the porch collapse by strengthening porch building codes. According to Chicago building codes, new porch railings have to be 42 inches high. But, CBS2 reports that there are thousands of old decks around Chicagoland that are not yet up to code.

The railings on the porch where the 24 year-old man died after falling in 2007 were only 32 inches in height. The 24 year-old man fell, suffered serious head injuries, and died six months later. Chicago wrongful death lawsuit attorney Steve Levin explained that the ?10-inch difference in this case was the difference between no accident and serious injury or tragic death.? A Chicago wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by Levin & Perconti on behalf of the family of the victim, charging the owner of the building with negligence. Documents show that in the years preceding the accident, city inspectors found various porch code violations at two other buildings owned by the defendants. One of the violations included the height of the guard rails.

The city?s Building Department advises Chicago residents to take action to avoid personal injuries. Measure your railings if you are concerned. If the railing is less than 42 inches in height, you should contact your landlord and call 311 to file a complaint.

Follow the link to watch the video about the Chicago porch safety featuring Chicago negligence lawsuit attorney Steve Levin.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on September 16, 2010 (boomark / email).