Kurtz Funeral Chapel Sued

NEW LENOX, IL - A local resident who visited Kurtz Memorial Chapel in New Lenox two summers ago has retained a lawyer to file a civil lawsuit against the long-time Lincoln-Way funeral service. Mark Galvan filed his negligence lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse on Friday. Galvin is represented by New Lenox lawyer Raymond G. Garza. Their lawsuit names Kurtz Memorial Chapel, Kurtz Memorial Chapel of Frankfort and Kurtz-Goodale Memorial Chapels as defendants.

The lawsuit stems from Galvan's visit to the New Lenox funeral home, at 102 E. Francis Road, on June 14, 2016. That day, "defendants conducted certain memorial and funeral service for a deceased military veteran attended by the plaintiff," attorney Garza states. "Plaintiff was serving in the American Legion Color Guard and providing courtesies during the aforementioned memorial and funeral service."

Then came Galvan's disaster, around 6 p.m. "Plaintiff was walking along the sidewalk near the west rear entryway of the Defendants' building … He stepped into a dangerously uneven area along the sidewalk which caused him to fall, resulting in serious injuries, as will be more fully described hereinafter."

Galvan's lawsuit accuses the Kurtz Memorial Chapel's New Lenox facility of having "created an unsafe uneven sidewalk near its rear entryway, (having) failed to warn plaintiff that its sidewalk along the rear entryway was unsafe and uneven" and also having "directed plaintiff to use a dangerous entryway to the building."

In total, Garza laid out 17 separate allegations of negligence against Kurtz Chapel including having "failed to provide Plaintiff with a safe place to walk."

"Plaintiff Mark Galvan sustained serious and permanent injuries including but not limited to a broken nose and broken ribs," his lawsuit states, informing Will County's judicial system, "the plaintiff has become sick, sore, lame and disordered and has otherwise been temporarily and permanently disabled and has been hindered in attending to the ordinary affairs of his life."

Galvan "demands judgment against the defendants … in a sum in excess of $50,000 each, plus costs of suit."

Main image via Google Maps