Mundelein Woman, 24, Paralyzed When O'Hare Shelter Falls Files Lawsuit

Photo/video credit: CBS Chicago video

The family of a Mundelein woman, who was a dancer at the college she attended in Chicago, is suing the city of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Aviation for negligence after she was paralyzed when a pedestrian shelter collapsed on her at O’Hare International Airport, the Daily Herald reports.

Tierney Darden, 24, was paralyzed from the waist down and her mother and sister, who were also waiting with her under the shelter for a bus, suffered minor injuries. The shelter, located near Terminal 2, collapsed during a storm on Aug. 2, according to the article. CBS Chicago reports the shelter was missing some bolts to secure it.

“She won’t be able to dance using her legs again,” David Darden, Tierney’s father, told CBS Chicago. He added that the worst part for him was “seeing her there, lying there, knowing she’s going through this, in that much pain and anguish.”

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In the lawsuit filed last week in Cook County, attorneys of the family allege the shelter was “visibly rusted, decaying and generally in a decaying condition” and was “inadequately attached to the ground,” the newspaper reports.

The lawsuit seeks $50,000 in injuries and emotional stress for each woman, according to the article.

Meanwhile, investigators have been checking out other shelters at O’Hare that are meant to protect travelers from the elements during inclement weather, CBS Chicago reports. One shelter was missing 22 bolts that are supposed to be connecting the structure to the ground and eight more screws that are meant to keep the structure intact.

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