A Vernon Hills woman paralyzed by a collapsed pedestrian shelter at O'Hare International Airport will receive $115 million settlement from the city of Chicago and its insurance carrier. Tierney Darden, 24, was initially awarded $148 million by a jury at the end of her personal injury trial Aug. 23. However, attorneys representing Chicago filed post-trial motions to reduce that amount, the law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard announced Tuesday. The two sides negotiated the final $115 million settlement, officials said. Darden was standing with her mother and 19-year-old sister outside of O'Hare around 2:40 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2015, when a storm rolled through the area. As the women waited to be picked up, and a pedestrian shelter weighing more than 750 pounds became loose and fell onto Tierney. Tierney, who was a dancer and college student at the time, sustained dislocated vertebrae and suffered a severed spinal cord that left her paralyzed from the waist down. It was determined … [Read more...] about Vernon Hills woman wins $115 million settlement against city of Chicago
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Warning: Travelers through Chicago O’Hare International Airport may have been exposed to measles
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Anyone who traveled through Chicago O’Hare International Airport earlier this month may want to check for signs of measles. The Illinois Department of Health issued an alert that a passenger on board an international flight that landed on Jan. 10 tested positive for the disease. The department has not released what flights the person was on, or where they traveled to or from. The unnamed passenger arrived at Terminal 5 and left via a domestic flight from Terminal 1, but may have been in other areas of the airport. Officials are most concerned about people who were at the airport between 6:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time on Jan. 10, especially those who have not been vaccinated. The Department of Health says that those exposed, and who have contracted measles, could see symptoms as late as Jan. 31. Rash High fever Cough Runny nose Red, watery eyes Health Department officials say if you experience the symptoms, call a doctor before going to an office … [Read more...] about Warning: Travelers through Chicago O’Hare International Airport may have been exposed to measles
‘Expedition Unknown’ revisits ’80s treasure find in Chicago
Nearly 35 years after discovering buried treasure in Grant Park, Rob Wrobel and Eric Gasiorowski return to the park with “Expedition Unknown” host Josh Gates to describe how they solved one piece of a puzzle that has confounded people for decades. Publisher Byron Preiss buried 12 ceramic casques — each containing a key that could be redeemed for a jewel — in parks around the country and put location clues in his 1982 book “The Secret.” Gates visits the places where casques have been found and tries to pinpoint the remaining treasures on an episode of “Expedition Unknown” that is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Wednesday on the Travel Channel. “One of the things about the ‘The Secret’ that you learn when you delve into it is that it’s really difficult,” Gates said in a phone interview. “None of the puzzles are particularly easy to solve, so I think for three teenagers to have cracked the very first one, … [Read more...] about ‘Expedition Unknown’ revisits ’80s treasure find in Chicago
Syrian family reunited in Chicago awaits green cards
The smile has returned to Fattoum Bakir’s face, a symbol not only of happiness, but also of the resilience the Syrian refugee and her family have shown in their turbulent journey from their war-torn homeland to two one-bedroom apartments in Skokie.Nearly a year after being reunited in Chicago, everyone in the family has applied for a green card. They wait eagerly for their status as legal permanents, which would allow them to shed the refugee label that has dogged them for years as they fled violence at home, endured a Turkish refugee camp and settled in America — a country that’s offered them both a fresh start and a stark ending to life as they once knew it.“I know it’s really hard to forget what’s happened, old things,” Bakir said through her daughter Aya Haj Khalaf, 19, who translated for her parents. “But you have to.”Last February, the 45-year-old mother thought her joy would never end as she clasped and kissed her … [Read more...] about Syrian family reunited in Chicago awaits green cards
‘Chicago Med’: Torrey DeVitto Gushes About Will-Natalie Romance, Teases Returning Character
Ahead of this week’s “Chicago Med” Season 3 installment, actress Torrey DeVitto has opened up about the romance between her character Natalie Manning to Nick Gehlfuss’ Will Halstead. She also teased about the return of a familiar face in episode 7. In a recent interview with TV Line, the 33-year-old actress revealed her candid thoughts about doctors Will and Natalie’s kiss at the start of the season of the NBC series. “I love that Natalie was the one, in that kiss, that took the initiative, because I feel like he’d been taking so many initiatives, and she was [hesitant],” she said. “It really worked out well. I feel like everybody wanted it. It was just like, ‘Just get it over with already!’” The former “Vampire Diaries” actress also talked about the perfect timing of Valerie’s blossoming romance with Halstead in the NBC series. For her, her character had to go through a journey that involved … [Read more...] about ‘Chicago Med’: Torrey DeVitto Gushes About Will-Natalie Romance, Teases Returning Character