Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A Chicago worker was killed on Wednesday following a construction site workplace accident downtown. The fatal accident claimed the life of 39 year-old Michael Gryga. According to reports, the fatal Chicago work injury occurred as Michael and another Peoples Gas employee were testing equipment in the downtown area below street level. The men were working near the Willis Tower around 1:45 p.m. when the tragedy took place. While the workers were testing a gas pipe with compressed air, a section of the pressurized pipe struck them. Kevin Spillers, a Chicago Board of Trade employee who was passing by, jumped to the aid of the injured workers.

Both of the men were taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition according to a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. The workers were helping with the Wacker drive reconstruction project when the fatal accident occurred. The accident is still being investigated by Peoples Gas, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and a federal agency.

If you have been the victim of a workplace injury, you should contact an attorney immediately to protect your rights. The Klest Law Firm handles workers compensation cases for all types of workplace injuries. To speak with an attorney regarding your workplace injury, please click here.

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A Chicago man was killed Wednesday when he was crushed by an 18,500 pound metal coil. The workplace accident occurred at the Material Sciences Corporation located in the 2200 block of Pratt Boulevard in Elk Grove Village, IL. Material Sciences Corporation reportedly provides material based services and coating for use in automotive, home appliance and telecommunications materials among others. The accident claimed the life of 63 year-old Dennis Woods of 706 Lincoln Ave. in West Chicago, IL. According to reports, Woods was killed just before 4 p.m. when a heavy coil fell from a piece of machinery crushing him.

The Elk Grove Village Police Department reportedly responded to the incident around 4 p.m. Woods was pronounced dead by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later that day. The circumstances surrounding the death are still being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you have been injured in a workplace accident you are entitled to certain benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Among those benefits are payment of medical bills, payment of a portion of your weekly wage while you are injured, and a potential permanency award. If you have been injured at work or have any questions regarding the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, please click here.

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A Chicago youth was killed earlier this month at a South Side worksite when he fell off his father’s lap as the man was operating a Bobcat. The tragic accident occurred at a construction site outside a building on the 8000 block of South Ellis Avenue which was being converted to condominiums. According to reports, the boy was fatally injured when the father backed the Bobcat off a curb causing the front-loader to jerk and the bucket to fall. The young boy fell forward out of his father’s arms and out of the Bobcat. He was mortally wounded by the falling bucket of dirt. The boy was pronounced dead at 10:42 a.m. on August 12th at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital.

Family members related that the father would routinely bring the boy with him to worksites in an effort to both save money on child care and spend time with the boy. The boy was getting ready to start 4th grade at Sawyer Elementary School in Gage Park, IL.

The tragic workplace fatality serves as a reminder of the potential severity of workplace injuries. A Chicago personal injury attorney can help victims of workplace injuries explore potential avenues of recovery. If you have any questions regarding workplace injuries or would otherwise like to speak to a lawyer please click here.

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An explosion at the Columbus Foods Co. vegetable oil and biodiesel plant in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood left two workers seriously injured last Friday. The workplace explosion is speculated to have been caused by some sort of chemical reaction according to a fire department spokesman. Columbus Foods Co. used the facility to manufacture and ship vegetable oil, shortening, biodiesel and other products. According to reports the facility handles between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds of biodiesel fuel each day. The facility houses about 65 employees. Agency officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have begun an investigation into the cause of the workplace explosion. OSHA reports that the plant has no history of complaints or enforcement actions.

The explosion occurred around 9 a.m. while workers were reportedly mixing chemicals. Several buildings were evacuated and some nearby roadways were closed following the workplace accident. Metra train lines running near the site of the accident were also impacted as a result of the explosion. A hazmat tent was erected outside of Children’s Memorial Hospital to treat individuals injured in the chemical explosion. A company spokesman could not be reached for comment following the accident.

If you have suffered a work related injury in the State of Illinois you may have a workers’ compensation claim or even a personal injury claim. If you wish to speak to a lawyer regarding a workplace injury please click here.

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A propane gas explosion left four injured at an outdoor Chicago café last Wednesday. The accident occurred at Cyrano’s Café, a restaurant located on the Chicago Riverwalk between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive. According to the owner of the café, the explosion occurred as cooks were preparing the kitchen for the day. Two of the cooks were injured while working at the Chicago restaurant.

The Chicago Fire Department issued a citation to the downtown Chicago restaurant for several fire code violations. According to spokesman Larry Langford, the restaurant was cited for improper installation of lines and valves on the grill, no certification of installer, improper placement of liquid propane gas tanks and a lack of proper fire suppression or extinguishers for restaurant use. The fire code further requires the restaurant to maintain two 20-pound fire extinguishers designed to put out kitchen fires. A serviceman for AmeriGas attributed the explosion to a minor gas leak in the propane tank. The tank has been repaired.

One victim of the Chicago accident was listed in critical condition while three others were in fair to serious condition. All four were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital via fire ambulance according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis. Four other individuals that were slightly injured in the accident declined treatment.

The cooks that were injured in the explosion may have a workers’ compensation claim. Work related injuries are generally covered by the Illinois Workers Compensation Act. If you have any questions regarding workers’ compensation click here.

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A slag explosion in ArcelorMittal’s East Chicago plant injured three contract workers last Friday. According to a factory representative at the Indiana Harbor East plant, the accident was the result of an eruption at the factory’s slag processor at the No. 7 blast furnace. One of the injured workers was taken to a local medical facility while the two others were airlifted to a Chicago hospital burn unit. Nick Dvorscak, assistant chief of the East Chicago Fire Department, reported that the fire was put out by the time his crew arrived to the scene. Dvorscak said that one worker suffered from severe burns while another was hit with a piece of shrapnel. The identities and conditions of the injured workers have not been released.

President of United Steelworkers Local 1010 Mike Hargrove reports that the union is participating in an investigation of the incident. Hargrove says that the union involved itself in the investigation in an attempt to avoid similar instances in the future. The union represents the plant’s hourly workers and not the contractors that were injured in the explosion. The injured contract workers are employed by subcontractors for Lafarge Slag which uses the waste by-product material to make concrete. Lafarge officials were unable to be reached regarding the explosion.

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A Chicago area man was killed Tuesday night when he was crushed by a machine in an envelope factory on the city’s Northwest Side. Hiep Vu, a 54 year old resident of Melrose Park, IL, was pronounced dead at 8:46 p.m. by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The police reportedly received a call around 7:50 p.m. from Cenveo Inc., a facility located at 3001 N. Rockwell St. By the time police arrived to the scene of the accident, the Chicago Fire Department was already in the process of transporting Vu to Chicago’s Advocate Illinois Medical Center.

According to reports, Vu’s co-workers became concerned when they did not see him stationed at the machine where he was working. The co-workers reportedly walked over to take a closer look at which point they noticed that Vu was stuck in the rollers of the heavy machine. Co-workers were somehow able to extricate Vu from the machine before the police arrived. Information regarding the type of machine that Vu was working on is not readily available. Police do not suspect any foul play in the death. The workplace accident is being investigated by Grand Central Area detectives. If the machine malfunction was the result of negligent manufacturing, there may be a products liability action available to the victim’s family in addition to a potential worker’s compensation claim.

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