Personal Injury Law

$2.7 Million Chicago Wrongful Death Lawsuit Reached in 2007 Porch Accident

The family of Michael A. Doyle has settled its Chicago wrongful death lawsuit with Kenard Management Corporation. Doyle, 25, died after falling from the third floor porch of a Lakeview apartment building early on January 1, 2007.

Per the Chicago premises liability complaint, Doyle was walking from the stairs to a table when he tripped and fell head first through the metal railings. At the time, Doyle was at a party with college friends.

The plaintiffs contend that six months before the Chicago fall accident, KMC?s insurance company warned it that the railing?s two feet by eight feet gap was too hazardous and should be covered with a wire mesh. Documents showed that KMC obtained bids on the project but had not taken action to remedy the safety hazard, which could have prevented Doyle?s Lakeview porch fall. The city also found that the building?s porches were in serious violation of codes and that some of the porches were attached to the building with inadequate bolts while others had rotted columns.

Chicago Porch Collapses and Falls
Porch collapses and falls from balconies and porches can result in serious Chicago personal injuries for both the people on the elevated structure and those below it. Common causes of porch collapse accidents:

? Too many people and items with a weight too great for a porch to carry
? Improper maintenance
? Poor quality materials
? Building and safety malfunctions
? Wear and tear
? Failure to repair defects and rusted or worn parts, including rotting wood

Family Gets $2.7M Settlement for Fatal Porch Collapse in Lakeview, MyFoxChicago, November 30, 2010

FFamily Gets $2.7M Settlement After Fatal Lakeview Porch Collapse, CBS, November 29, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Premises Liability, Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

The Chicago Porch Collapse Disaster

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on December 21, 2010 (boomark / email).