Death following tree branch fall lands landscaping company in court

A Cook County woman is suing over claims her husband died when a tree branch struck his head while working a landscaping job.

Gale M. Harris-Woods, individually and as special administrator of the Estate of Michael B. Wood, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Sept. 24 in Cook County Circuit Court against Bruce Sanchez, individually and doing business as Peland Best Landscaping.

According to the suit, Woods was helping Sanchez trimming and removing a tree for Peland Best Landscaping on Oct. 6, 2012, when Sanchez, who was working above Woods, attempted to remove a tree branch and the branch fell, striking Woods on the head.

Woods claims he suffered traumatic injuries that led to his June 4, 2014 death.

Harris-Woods is seeking more than $500,000 in damages and is represented by attorney Robert I. Briskman of Briskman Briskman & Greenberg in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L009976.

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.