Woman sues condo association after falling on stairs

A woman is suing over claims she fractured her ankle while using the stairs at a suburban Cook County condominium.

Lindsay Gifford filed a lawsuit Feb. 18 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Belvidere Condominium Association and Dowling Properties LLC, citing negligence.

According to the complaint, Gifford was at the defendants' property at 7320 Dixon St. in Forest Park on Aug. 29, when she fell on the stairs and fractured her right ankle.

She contends the fall occurred because the last stair had a riser height of 10 inches, compared to the 7-inch riser height on each previous stair.

Gifford asserts the defendants failed to provide a staircase with a set of uniform stairs, recognize and remedy the discrepancy in riser height and provide a reasonably safe means of ingress and egress.

She is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, plus costs, and is being represented in the case by Daniel J. McDevitt of the Law Offices of Dwyer & McDevitt in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L001602.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.