Man trips over towing company sign, lands in Circuit Court

(Above) Near Marina City’s east tower, this sign – or one just like it – which may have been located closer to the sidewalk in the background, is the focus of a personal injury lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. (Click on image to view larger version.)

9-Jul-13 – A Chicago man who says he tripped over a towing company’s sign at Marina City is now suing the company along with owners and managers of commercial and residential property at the River North mixed-use complex.

James Corrigan says on June 23, 2011, he was walking on a narrow sidewalk in back of Smith & Wollensky when he tripped over a sign near the restaurant warning that parking in the area is for Marina City residents only. He claims to have injured his hand and upper leg in the fall and is suing for $30,000. Defendants include the owner of Hotel Sax, owner of House of Blues, the commercial property manager, Smith & Wollensky, Marina Towers Condominium Association, and Phillips Towing Service.

In the lawsuit filed on October 10, 2012, Corrigan says he did not see the sign because it was in a dark area between Marina City’s two parking ramps and he was busy watching for traffic. The sign, he says, was perpendicular to the sidewalk, “making it extremely difficult to see.” He claims to have tripped on the sign’s large circular metal base and sustained serious injuries.

The lawsuit is currently in the discovery phase in which information is exchanged between parties. A case management conference is scheduled for July 25.