The plaintiff, Mark Zimmerman, 44, lived in a three-story building. The building came with a deck attached to an exterior stairwell. As Zimmerman was leaving for work, he bent over to pick something up while holding on to the deck railing. The railing collapsed. Zimmerman fell three stories to the ground, fracturing his right ankle. He also suffered lumbar fractures at L2 and L4.
Zimmerman underwent two ankle surgeries and a spinal fusion surgery. His medical bills totaled more than $400,000. Before the date of this incident, Zimmerman worked as a school janitor. He has not returned to work since.
In a lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., Zimmerman sued the owner of the building and its management company. He alleged premises liability because of the defective railing, saying it was unsafe and caused his injuries.
The defendants maintained that the injuries Zimmerman suffered were from a pre-existing medical condition. Before trial, the parties settled for about $905,000.
Mr. Zimmerman was represented by Charles L. Cannon, III.
Zimmerman v. Heywood, No. 2010 L 012100 (Cook County, Illinois).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling injury cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 37 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Chicago (Fulton River District, Gold Coast, Little Italy, Printers Row), Aurora, Des Plaines, Elgin, Naperville, Oak Lawn, Palatine, Plainfield, Round Lake and Schaumburg, Ill.
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