Woman injured by fallen rusted Chicago light pole to get $1.25 million settlement
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago taxpayers could soon pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who was injured when a rusted city light pole fell on her car in Streeterville in 2020.
The City Council Finance Committee will vote on the proposed settlement with Isabella Keating on Monday. The full City Council could then vote on the settlement on Wednesday.
Keating was sitting in her Jeep at a stop light in Streeterville on Feb. 25, 2020, when a light pole came crashing down on her windshield, causing her a serious concussion.
Police officers on the scene said the pole was rusted out at the base. CBS 2 Investigators have been uncovering this danger for years.
Officers patrolled near Illinois and McClurg when they were called to Keating's rescue. She told them the pole snapped and started falling.
The officers then went out of their way to check it out, writing in the report that "the light pole base appeared to be extremely rusted and could have been a factor in its falling."
Days after the incident, Keating's attorney, Michael Demetrio, said the officers "were clearly moved and motivated to note that in their police report. "This is a very well-known issue."
Between 2014 and 2018, the city received 7,821 complaints of leaning or falling poles, 494 reports of property damage, and 75 reported injuries.
"That's the real danger of these light poles," said Demetrio, "that are basically ticking time bombs across the city of Chicago."
At the time of Keating's incident, the city said it had replaced about 4,400 light poles across the city.