New Milford Man Trips Over Discarded Christmas Tree, Files Lawsuit

NEW MILFORD, N.J. — A New Milford man filed a lawsuit against the owners of a Fort Lee apartment building claiming he was severely injured after tripping over a Christmas tree left on the sidewalk for trash collectors.

Kyu Taik Chung, 73, filed the suit Jan. 20 in Bergen County Superior Court.

Chung claims that the 1170 Apartment Corporation, "recklessly, carelessly and/or negligently" allowed the tree to remain on the Linwood Avenue property when he was injured in March 2015. Chung wants a jury trial and damages. The tree's stump was blocking the sidewalk on Linwood Avenue.

"The tree was in such a position that he would have needed to have gone in the street to avoid it and the vehicles were whizzing by, so he thought he could safety step over it," Wunsch said. "Why a commercial apartment complex have taken care of it? They have an obligation to make sure their walkways are safe for pedestrians to use."

Chung suffered "severe and permanent injuries; was disabled and disfigured; has suffered and will continue to suffer great pain and torment, both mental and physical," Albert H. Wunsch III, Chung's attorney, claims in the suit. Patch could not obtain a copy of the lawsuit.

Chung has had two hip surgeries since the accident. One to put hardware in and another because the hardware became infected.

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