Family Of Woman Killed By Falling Gargoyle Statue Files Lawsuit
(STMW) -- A wrongful death lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of a woman who was killed by a piece of a gargoyle statue that fell from the facade of a South Loop church.
Sarah Bean, 34, was killed Sept. 4 outside the Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, at 1936 S. Michigan Ave. Her boyfriend, Lance Johnson, filed the suit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of himself and their 9-year-old son.
The two-count wrongful death suit seeks more than $100,000 in damages.
The decorative stone piece fell from the church just after noon, hitting the 34-year-old mother of two, the Sun-Times previously reported.
Bean, of the 2000 block of South State, was waiting to cross the street with Johnson when it happened. They were heading out to lunch, her family said.
A representative from the church could not be reached for comment Monday evening, but the following statement was posted on the church's website:
"The Session and Congregation of Second Presbyterian Church express our deep sorrow at the death of Sarah Bean, who died tragically as a result of an incident that occurred in front of the church at noon on Thursday. We send our heartfelt sympathy and continual prayers for her family and friends."
A 2011 structural engineering report ordered by the city found problems that needed to be fixed, but no "imminently hazardous conditions" at the historic South Loop church.
Second Presbyterian Church subsequently passed city inspections early in 2012 and again in March, 2013, but it had not been inspected yet this year, according to records.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
