Dangerous Property Case Results

Union Oil Fire Litigation – Acted as lead counsel on behalf of plaintiffs who were injured or died in the Romeoville explosion and fire. All cases settled for an aggregate of $29,000,000.00 The six clients represented by Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. Trial Lawyers settled their claims for a total of $12,700,000.00 and worker’s compensation lien waivers valued at approximately $1,000,000.00.

Estate of B.D. v. ABB C-E Services, Inc., Commonwealth Edison Co., et al. – $3,600,000.00 verdict in a construction accident case for widow of 35 year-old electrician who fell to his death through a 3 foot by 8 foot hole in a catwalk 30 feet up in the air. The section of catwalk was removed by other workers and the opening was not barricaded or roped off.

N.K. v. LOC Construction Co. – Settled claims for personal injuries in a construction accident case on behalf of a 37 year-old man who was crushed under a concrete catch basin in a job site excavation for $2,630,000.00. The settlement was paid by two general contractors, one subcontractor, the landowner, an engineering firm, and the City of Crystal Lake. The settlement was a record recovery in McHenry County. The previous high settlement in the county was $850,000.00, and the previous high verdict was less than $500,000.00.

J.S. v. Kayak Pool Corporation, Kayak Pools Midwest, Latham International, Inc., and homeowners – $2,000,000.00 settlement with for 12-year-old girl who dove into an above ground pool and fractured her cervical spine.

B.B. v. City of Chicago – $1,500,000.00 settlement for a 23-year-old who was riding his bicycle on a City street when he came upon a large hole around a catch basin in the roadway near the curb. The hole had been present for more than two months and the City had actual notice of the defect. Streets and Sanitation were scheduled to repair the hole the next day. On the evening of the occurrence, there was one unlighted sawhorse in the hole. City employees admitted that such a configuration was out of conformity with the City’s practices but denied that it was in that condition when they last saw it. Plaintiff suffered a severe closed head injury and now resides with his parents who provide the majority of his care.

Estate of J.D. v. General Contractor and Crane Inspection Company – $1,222,000.00 wrongful death settlement with general contractor and crane inspection company for 33-year-old man working on a construction site on a lift doing steel erection when the boom hoist wire rope of the crane working nearby snapped and the boom collapsed and fell on him killing him instantly. At the time of his death, plaintiff was survived by his 1-year-old daughter and posthumously born son.

Estate of O.R. v. Cedar Lake Park, Inc. – $506,370.36 jury verdict reduced to $253,185.18 for estate of 17 year-old boy who drowned at defendant’s beach. Jury found the decedent 50% liable.

C.N. v. Levy Security – $400,000.00 jury verdict for a registered nurse who was attacked and beaten by a psychiatric patient at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The suit was successfully prosecuted against the security service whose workers did not timely respond to the emergency call for help.

W.T. v. Courthouse Development – $400,000.00 settlement in a construction accident case for a 53-year-old man who was injured while at work when he fell of a 6-7 foot scaffold. Though the defendant denied it, the scaffold was assembled by the defendant in violation of OSHA standards.

R.M. v. Greyhound Lines, Inc. – $75,000.00 settlement for a 49-year-old gentlemen who was unlawfully detained, robbed, battered, and mentally abused by security guards at the Greyhound Bus Station in Chicago. The occurrence was captured by surveillance cameras and the case settled shortly after filing a personal injury lawsuit.

S.R. v. Cascade Mountain, Inc. – Confidential settlement for 15-year-old young man who suffered fractures to C5-C6 and was rendered paraplegic due to a defectively designed and maintained snowboard jump at Cascade Mountain in Portage, Wisconsin.