Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

• Rottweiler attacks woman and her dog

  Barry Doyle | February 05, 2007 12:45 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  An elderly Texas woman survived an attack by a neighbor's rottweiler after the rottweiler attacked her as she was out walking her pet chihuahua. This was the second time the woman and a pet chihuahua had been attacked by the same dog. The chihuahua involved in this attack survived; the one in the earlier attack did not.The woman suffered bruises and contusions as a result of the attack. The...

• Man killed in apartment fire

  Barry Doyle | February 01, 2007 7:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A fire in a Humboldt Park apartment has left one resident dead. The Bomb & Arson squad was investigating the cause and origin of the fire, but initial reports indicated that the fire was accidental.The fire was reported at 4:50 a.m., but the man was not pronounced dead until after 9:00 p.m. that day. Burns and smoke inhalation are the likely causes of death.The Illinois Smoke Detector Act...

• Firings follow CTA derailment

  Barry Doyle | January 28, 2007 7:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  The CTA has moved to fire five employees it found to be responsible for the July Blue Line derailment. The fired workers were responsible for inspecting the tracks but failed to notice the deteriorated condition of the track plates. The deterioration of the track plates led to the derailment.More than 100 people have filed suit against the CTA for the derailment. Many people suffered smoke...

• Pit bull attacks student at school

  Barry Doyle | January 25, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Wisconsin student was injured, but fortunately not seriously, when he was bitten by a pit bull during gym class at school. The dog had latched onto the child's arm, prompting a police officer assigned to the school to shoot and kill the dog.County officials stated that when a pit bull bites and latches on, the pit bull is an attack mode.This news story demonstrates one of the traits about pit...

• Fatal pit bull mauling

  Barry Doyle | January 20, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A 10 year old Texas girl has died after being mauled by a pit bull. The dog had escaped the yard where it was kept by jumping a fence. In addition to attacking the girl, the dog also bit two men who tried to rescue the dog.The girl died from blood loss resulting from puncture wounds to the neck.Victims of dog attacks in Illinois have two main avenues of recovery: (1) a statutory claim under...

• Child's thumb mangled in escalator

  Barry Doyle | January 16, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  There was a Christmas-time accident on an escalator at the Macy's store in New York City. The child and his parents were going down an escalator when another passenger fell, knocking the boy over and causing him to get his thumb stuck in the escalator. He now faces the possibility of having his thumb amputated.It was the second accident in recent months at the store. In October, a girl...

• Carbon monoxide poisons motel guest

  Barry Doyle | January 13, 2007 9:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A guest at an Arkansas motel was found dead in her room. An investigation into the cause of her death showed that she died due to carbon monoxide entering into her room due to a leak in a pipe which was a part of a natural gas heater.Besides the one fatality, two other guests were hospitalized for treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.Motels are responisble for maintaining their premises in...

• Man paralyzed in fall into manhole

  Barry Doyle | January 08, 2007 6:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Florida man was seriously injured when he fell into an open manhole on a city street. The manhole cover is very heavy and requires a special tool to remove it. He was not rescued until a passer-by noticed the open hole several hours later.As a result of the fall, he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found that he could not feel his legs. He is now paralyzed from the waist down. ...

• Woman loses finger in pit bull attack

  Barry Doyle | January 07, 2007 6:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Two pit bulls attacked a woman as she took her dog for a walk. Initially the pit bulls, which were running loose, attacked the woman's dog. When she tried to defend her dog, the pit bulls turned on her, knocking her to the ground and biting her repeatedly. She was saved only when neighbors were able to pull the pit bulls away.During the attack, one of the pit bulls ripped off the middle...

• Dog bite liability exposure concerns insurance carriers

  Barry Doyle | January 03, 2007 11:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Many of the large homeowner's insurance carriers are either refusing coverage or increasing premiums for homeowners who have dogs that are of certain breeds. The reason for this is the frequency and cost of dog bite claims which happen more frequently with those breeds of dogs.Insurance companies view the following breeds of dogs as likely to attack: pit bulls, rottweilers, akitas, German...