Stone Slabs Trap And Kill 77-Year-Old Niles Woman

NILES, IL — Mary Sullivan, 77, of the 6900 block of Jarvis Street in Niles, fell down a stairwell Friday and died, police said. As she began to fall, she grabbed onto some large tile slabs that were leaning against the stairwell to try to stop herself. The slabs came down, and she was trapped.

Police got a call for an unresponsive person when her husband found her about 30 minutes later, according to Cmdr. Robert Tornabene of Niles police. The Niles Fire Department attempted to revive her, but Sullivan was pronounced dead shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday, he said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled her death an accident. An autopsy found she died as a result of mechanical asphyxia and entrapment, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.