Man falls 5 stories over railing at hotel on New Year’s Eve: lawsuit

SHARE Man falls 5 stories over railing at hotel on New Year’s Eve: lawsuit
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The Congress Hotel, located at 520 S. Michigan Ave. | Google Earth

A man who fell five stories in a stairwell at the Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in the South Loop is suing the hotel and other organizers of a New Year’s Eve party, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

On Dec. 31, Jacob Krajewski arrived at the hotel at 520 S. Michigan Ave. for a New Year’s Eve party he had purchased a ticket to. Before heading to the celebration, he and his friends hung out in a room that one of them had booked on the 13th floor, the lawsuit said.

As the group waited for an elevator to go to the party, Krajewski leaned against a railing attached to the stairwell and toppled over. He fell five stories, the lawsuit said.

Krajewski landed in the stairwell between the eighth and ninth floors and suffered “life changing injuries” from the fall, according to the lawsuit.

The handrail measured in at a height of 35.5 inches – falling short of requirements set by the National Fire Protection Association’s Lifestyle Code and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the lawsuit said.

Because the railing was not high enough, Krajewski, who stands 6-foot-3-inches tall, lost his balance while leaning against it and fell backward, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that the hotel acted with disregard for the safety of their guests by having a railing that was too short and allowed their property to be in an “unreasonably dangerous condition,” the lawsuit said.

The party was advertised as “New Year’s Eve Party 2019 with B96 Chicago” and “Corona Extra Presents NYE 2019 at Congress Plaza Hotel.” In addition to the hotel, the lawsuit also names Crown Imports, LLC; Surreal, LLC; Eventbrite, Inc.; Entercom Communications Corp.; CBS Radio East Inc.; CBS Radio Inc., of Illinois; CBS Radio Holdings Corp. of Orlando; and CBS Radio of Chicago, LLC.

Krajewski is seeking $50,000 in damages.

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