One of the individuals who was injured when a display collapsed at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual Lightscape show is speaking out for the first time.
It’s been three weeks since Shelli Loesch and Ariel James were injured at the event, with a projection screen and rigging falling on them on December 20, according to a lawsuit filed by attorneys representing the pair.
Loesch tells NBC Chicago that she can barely walk to the kitchen, still dealing with the broken bones she suffered in the incident.
“I was in so much pain. I was panicked. I was shaking,” she said.
Loesch said she was attending the event with a friend and a group of children, singing Christmas carols and enjoying the sights.
Their first stop was a large projection screen where guests can make shadows, but it was then that Loesch said that the rigging collapsed.
“It was almost like the wind came into a sailboat, like gusted behind the screen and pushed it over,” she said. “I saw this white thing coming at me, I thought ‘this is it. This is how I’m going.’”
Loesch said she suffered a broken foot and a broken tailbone in the incident. Her friend became pinned, and the young children were trapped underneath the screen.
“The hot chocolate spilled all over them. They were wet, scared, crying,” she said.
Attorney Erron Fisher is filing a lawsuit in Cook County, naming the Botanic Gardens and Culture Creative, a UK-based company that put on the production.
“Did the wind bring this down, was it poorly constructed, was it not anchored?” Fisher said. “You can’t have artistic displays collapsing on the public that’s paying good money to see them.”
Loesch said that she hopes no one ever has to experience what she has been dealing with.
“The Botanic Garden needs to know that someone was really hurt there, a couple people were really hurt there,” she said.
The Garden issued a statement on the lawsuit.
“We have been notified about a lawsuit and do not comment on pending litigation. We intend to review the filing carefully and respond appropriately. Visitor and employee safety is our first and foremost priority,” the organization said.
In the lawsuit, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County is accused of willful and wanton misconduct, with the plaintiffs alleging the event was permitted without proper safety measures. Other allegations include the forest preserve district failed to prevent hazardous displays from being built and permitted rigging of displays that didn’t meet minimum safety standards and couldn’t withstand winds of 16 miles per hour.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, including for past and future pain and suffering, medical expenses, emotional distress, loss of normal life and lost wages. Both have valued damages in excess of $50,000.
Hence then, the article about exclusive woman speaks out after light display collapse at chicago botanic garden was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Exclusive: Woman speaks out after light display collapse at Chicago Botanic Garden )
Also on site :
- Several Denver-area gas stations pumped contaminated fuel this week, King Soopers warns
- Anthropic adds Allianz to growing list of enterprise wins
- Ukraine calls on allies to raise pressure as Russia fires Oreshnik missile