April
15, 2003
LAWSUIT
FILED AFTER MAN PARALYZED IN FALL FROM SCAFFOLD ON CONSTRUCTION
SITE
On April 15, 2003, Timothy J. Cavanagh of the law firm of
Lloyd & Cavanagh filed a negligence lawsuit on behalf
of a man paralyzed in a fall at a construction site in Peotone,
IL. On March 25, 2003, Bill Geigner, age 31, was on a scaffold
at 942 Louise Lane in Peotone working on the construction
of a home. The defendant, Bettenhausen Properties, Inc.
was the general contractor in charge of building the house.
Bill Geigner's firm, Bill's Builders, Inc. was retained
as a roofing sub-contractor. At approximately 8:30 a.m.
on March 25, 2003, Bill fell from the scaffold and was rushed
by ambulance to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. Bill
suffered fractures of his cervical spine that has rendered
him a quadriplegic. On March 28, 2003, Dr. Thapedi, a neurosurgeon,
performed emergency surgery to stabilize the fractures.
Within several weeks, Bill is expected to be transferred
to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for rehabilitation
and therapy.
The
lawsuit names Bettenhausen Properties, Inc. as a defendant.
The case is entitled Bill Geigner and Kristina Geigner v.
Bettenhausen Properties, Inc. No. 03 L 4560. The case is
pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The lawsuit
charges that the general contractor failed to observe normal
safety protocol and have fall protections on the scaffold.
The lawsuit also alleges that Bettenhausen Properties, Inc.
failed to properly secure the scaffold and insure its stability.
On April 16, 2003, Judge Philip L. Bronstein granted Plaintiffs'
Emergency Motion for a Protective Order. The Motion was
filed by Plaintiffs' counsel, Timothy J. Cavanagh to ensure
that the scaffold and other relevant evidence is not destroyed.
Mr.
Cavanagh stated: "This tragedy could have been avoided
had the general contractor properly performed his job and
stabilized the scaffold with clamps. Moreover, the use of
fall protections would have prevented Bill from falling
to the ground and suffering these devastating injuries.
The fall protections and the proper stabilization of the
scaffold are required by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) and ANSI (American National Standard)."
Bettenhausen
Properties, Inc. is owned by John Bettenhausen. The Corporate
address is listed as 154 W. Main St. Peotone, IL 60468.
Bill Geigner resides with his wife, Kristina and three children
in Elmwood, IL.
