The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that a bartender, who was found unresponsive at the base of a staircase at Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Loyola station on Jan. 13, died in an accidental fall.
The 48-year-old Edgewater Glen resident was found just after 5 a.m. that morning at the station, located at 1208 W. Loyola Ave. When he was discovered, he was unconscious and bleeding from the head. He was later transported to Evanston’s Presence St. Francis Hospital where he passed away later at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 17.
He never regained consciousness before he died. Police where therefore unable to question him about the events leading up to his fall.
Many area residents expressed initial concerns that the man had been robbed or attacked, acts that could have potentially caused him to lose his footing and fall to his death.
A spokesperson with Chicago’s Police Department notes that CTA turned over surveillance footage from early that morning. It reportedly doesn’t show any evidence of foul pay being involved in the tragic incident.
Although the medical examiner has ruled that the man’s death was an accidental fall, it’s unclear what the condition of the stairs that he fell down may have been like.
As with any public building, it’s the responsibility of the property owner to maintain safe premises free from any potential hazards. It’s unclear if the stairs may have been slippery or icy, chipped, too narrow or uneven due to a raised spot, or if they’d sustained any other type of damage that may have contributed to his fall.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a slip and fall incident, then a Chicago personal injury attorney can advise you of your rights to file a lawsuit against the property owner in your case.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Death after fall at Loyola Red Line station ruled accidental,” Rosemary Sobol, Jan. 24, 2018