A woman hurt in her car when a city crane removing a tree also allegedly moved her car is suing the city for her injuries.
Lila Totleben filed a complaint June 2 in Cook County Circuit Court against the city of Chicago.
On June 20, 2014, an city worker was operating a crane for the city at 11408 S. Avenue J., Chicago, the place where the plaintiff was driving her car. According to the lawsuit, the city crane operator began to "move and shake the plaintiff's vehicle while she was inside [and] while a tree was being removed from the premises."
The defendant is cited with moving and shaking the plaintiff's car, failing to keep the crane under control, operating the crane in a way that injured the plaintiff, not keeping a proper lookout, directing the plaintiff to get in her car when it was unsafe, directing her to drive forward when it was unsafe, failing to warn Totleben of the dangers of driving there when the tree was being removed, and failing to remove the tree safely.
The plaintiff, citing injuries of a personal, permanent and pecuniary nature, seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus costs.
The plaintiff is represented by Benjamin B. Kelly of the Vrdolyak Law Group in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case no. 2015L005584.