Pedestrian sues city over tree limb that fell on her

A Cook County woman is suing over claims she was injured when a tree limb fell on her while walking down a city sidewalk.

Melinda C. Cardella filed a lawsuit Aug. 29 in Cook County Circuit Court against the City of Chicago, alleging negligence.

According to the complaint, Cardella was walking on the sidewalk near the intersection of Howard Street and Milwaukee Avenue on Aug. 30, 2013, when she was struck by a limb that fell from a tree.

She claims the city had been made aware of the dangerous tree limb from the public, but failed to remedy the situation. The city is accused of failing to maintain its property.

Cardella is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is represented by Chicago attorney Michael C. Goode.

Case No. 2014-L-009095

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in 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.