A settlement has been reached in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city by the father of a 17-year-old found dead in a collapsed stairwell on April 5, 2006.
The teenager’s father filed the suit on April 11, 2006, in Vermilion County Circuit Court. He was asking for more than $50,000. The size of the settlement reached this week has not been made public, but will be a matter of public record soon.
Mayor Scott Eisenhauer says that the city does not accept liability for the teen’s death and that it was the city’s liability insurance provider who made the choice to settle.
“In no way does this settlement place fault or blame against the city, nor in accepting a settlement arrangement does the city admit any wrongdoing,” he said. “Sometimes it just makes more sense to settle economically than to go through the process with the risk of losing the case and greater financial risk of taxpayer dollars.”
McClintock Civil Engineering Service reported to the city in 2003 that the stairwell was building up unsafe levels of rust and had no connection at its base. The organization recommended that the city renovate the stairwell before its inevitable collapse.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed due to unstable or inadequately maintained public structures, contact the Danville wrongful death lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C. at 217-443-4343 today.
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