A worker is suing three businesses, alleging negligence after his arm was amputated in the machinery controlling a conveyor ski lift.
Patrick O'Donnell filed a complaint July 23 in Cook County Circuit Court against Magic Carpet Ski Lifts Inc., the Hoffman-Panduit Partnership and IDEC Corp.
According to the complaint, on March 2, 2014, O'Donnell was an employee of Avalanche Enterprises Inc., which operated a snowboard park in Algonquin. On that date, the lawsuit states, O'Donnell's arm "became entrapped between the conveyor belt and the conveyor brush" on the ski lift, "causing the plaintiff to suffer an amputation to his right arm."
The suit says the defendants let the system fail to operate correctly and failed to ensure the machinery around the belt and brush were guarded, to provide adequate instructions, to instruct that emergency stop buttons should be installed, to require the design and installation of an interlock door on the equipment vault, to include appropriate communication systems, and to ensure the belt and brush had proper design.
O'Donnell seeks damages of more than $150,000, plus legal costs. He is represented by attorneys Martin Healy Jr., John P. Scanlon and David P. Huber of Healy Scanlon of Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015L007014.