Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC
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Chicago Falling Merchandise Lawyer

Were you injured by merchandise that fell off a shelf in Chicago, Illinois? You may be able to take legal action by filing a premises liability claim, and Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC is here to help you maximize what you recover.

Call us at (312) 701-0090 for a free consultation to get started with your case. Our Chicago premises liability lawyers have won tens of millions of dollars for our clients and have over 100 years of combined experience.

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How Can Mark L. Karno & Associates Help After a Falling Merchandise Accident in Chicago, IL?

Mark L. Karno & Associates has been successfully representing victims of premises liability accidents in Chicago for decades. When you hire our award-winning legal team, we can:

  • Investigate how the merchandise was displayed and whether it violated any safety standards
  • Obtain the store’s incident reports and internal maintenance records
  • Interview witnesses who saw what happened
  • Document the full extent of your injuries and related expenses
  • File a lawsuit if the store’s insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement

Contact our law offices today for a free case review, at which time we can answer your questions and provide you with some preliminary legal advice.

How Do Falling Merchandise Accidents Happen?

Falling merchandise accidents are more common than most people think. Large retail stores and other establishments stock thousands of products on shelves that can reach well above a customer’s head. When those items aren’t stored properly, it doesn’t take much for something to fall.

Some of the most frequent causes of falling merchandise injuries include:

  • Items stacked too high or too close to the edge of a shelf
  • Heavy products placed on upper shelves without adequate support
  • Overloaded displays that become unstable over time
  • Broken shelving that hasn’t been repaired
  • Employees restocking merchandise carelessly while customers are nearby
  • Forklifts disturbing nearby shelves during warehouse-style operations

The injuries from these accidents can be surprisingly severe. A heavy object falling from an upper shelf can cause severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that children and older adults are especially vulnerable to.

What Do I Need To Prove in a Falling Merchandise Case?

To recover compensation, you generally need to show that the store created or allowed a dangerous condition to exist and that the condition caused your injury. Under Illinois premises liability law, retailers owe their customers the highest duty of care because shoppers are classified as invitees.

That means the store is expected to regularly inspect its shelves and displays for hazards, fix problems as soon as they’re discovered, and warn customers about any dangers that haven’t been addressed yet. If they fell short on any of those obligations and you got hurt as a result, they can be held financially responsible.

$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at…
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$6.32m

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a 24-year-old patron at a tavern owned by Ginx, Inc. Another patron, known only as “Mike,” became intoxicated, argumentative and violent at the tavern as the evening progressed. “Mike” then got into a fight with another patron of the bar and was asked to leave. “Mike” later returned to the bar within minutes and was patted down by the tavern’s bouncer. The bouncer felt what he felt was a gun in “Mike’s” pants and then asked him to leave the tavern, again. Within seconds of Mike leaving the tavern, shots were fired into the tavern through a boarded-up side door. Our client, who was not involved in any altercation that evening, was shot in the back while playing pool near the area of the boarded-up side door.

Client’s Injuries: Permanent paraplegia with paralysis from the nipple-line down, spastic bladder and bowel, broken ribs and a collapsed lung

$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the…
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$825k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was shot with a handgun inside her own apartment by her brother who had entered the building through the front door of the apartment complex that was equipped with a lock that was not functioning properly. We successfully argued that the landlord had liability for the shooting due to the fact that the local ordinance required entryway doors to be equipped with a working locking mechanism that required a key to enter the premises.

Client’s Injuries: Gunshot wound that entered the oral cavity and shattered the mandible and went through the neck and then lodged into her right scapula causing a fracture. Also sustained injuries to her right jugular vein and right carotid artery.

$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can…
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$750k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was painting the exterior stairway at 625½ West Arlington, Chicago, Illinois, when he encountered a garbage can on the winder portion of the staircase at which time he lost his balance and fell over the railing of the stairway, falling two stories to the ground. It was alleged that there were various defects in the staircase.

Client’s Injuries: Rib fractures, a burst dislocation of T10/T11 and T11/T12 with paraplegia, which required a fusion of T8 to L1 with a rib graft

$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of…
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$722.5k

Premises Liability

Facts: A power strip manufactured by Gemini Industries, Inc., for Philips-Magnavox failed, causing a fire at a condominium in Homewood, Illinois. The product failure consisted of either an MOV and/or thermal fuse failure and/or inappropriate installation of the MOV and/or thermal fuse when the power strip was manufactured. The fire burned through the walls of the condominium unit and entered the adjoining condominium.

Client’s Injuries: Wrongful death of 67-year-old caused by burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Deceased was a retired train engineer.

$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy…
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$600k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on the remnants of the base of a concrete pillar on the defendant’s property that previously held up a canopy over the sidewalk.

Client’s Injuries: Right ankle sprain and ligament tear, complex regional pain syndrome of the right lower extremity, type 1, requiring initial treatment of right lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, a spinal cord implant surgery which lead to a staph infection.

$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the…
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$425k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a customer at a gasoline service station when he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant and robbed, while the vehicle he was a passenger in was car-jacked by a group of criminals.

Client’s Injuries: Complete spinal cord injury to T8 resulting in paraplegia; a right 8th rib fracture and numerous complications including phlebitis, fecal impaction, sacral decubitus ulcer, multiple decubitus wounds, back area wounds, bilateral heel wounds, right ischial pressure and post-sacral pressure sore requiring operations for excisional preparation for muscle flap closure of right ischium and excisional preparation for fasciocutaneous closure of the sacrum.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was touring the inside of a country club looking at various pieces of equipment to potentially purchase. As she was descending a flight of carpeted stairs on the premises, she tripped over a piece of carpet that was torn and fell down four stairs. The defense argued the defective condition of the stairs was an open and obvious condition and therefore, they were not liable for our client’s injuries. We successfully argued against the defense’s position and attained a settlement for our client in the amount of $300,000.00.

Client’s Injuries: Nondisplaced sacral fracture and subsequent sacroiliac joint pain.

$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was…
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$300k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a passenger in an automobile being driven northbound on Route 31 north of Gracy Road, in McHenry County, Illinois, when it was struck by a truck being driven southbound on Route 31 that had crossed the center line.

Client’s Injuries: Multiple fractures

$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture,…
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$205k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped over a garden hose that was left out behind a gated entrance to her house. She suffered a distal radius left fracture, which required two surgeries. The defendant argued that hose was an open and obvious condition. The case settled for $205,000.00.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when she slipped and fell on a wet floor near the salad bar. The floor had recently been mopped by a restaurant employee.

Client’s Injuries: Mild concussion causing headaches, a C3-C4 disc herniation, C4-C5 disc bulge, cervical sprain, disc protrusions at the levels of C4 and C7 with associated cervical radiculopathy, requiring epidural injections; a non-displaced occult type fracture of the distal tibia with a bone contusion of the distal tibia and the talus requiring her to utilize a Cam walker and a cane.

$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking…
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$200k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was exiting her apartment complex and walking on the sidewalk toward the parking lot of her building. However, just before reaching the parking lot, our client was caused to slip and fall on an unnatural accumulation of ice on the sidewalk due to improper placement/maintenance of a drainage gutter.

Client’s Injuries: Displaced left distal radius fracture requiring open reduction internal fixation surgery.

$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the…
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$170k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was lawfully on the defendant’s premises walking down the interior stairs to the basement of the apartment building when she fell down the stairs after slipping on a foreign substance. We successfully argued that the property owner was negligent in the maintenance of their property by allowing a foreign substance to remain on the surface of the stairwell, thereby causing a slippery and hazardous condition; by failing to maintain a firmly fastened handrail in good condition; failure to warn persons walking down the stairway of the dangerous condition existing on the premises; and failed to properly and sufficiently illuminate the stairway, causing our client to suffer severe and permanent injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Sprain to the medial collateral ligament in the knee, partial tear of the rotator cuff and the AC joint in the left shoulder.

$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant. Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with…
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$165k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client slipped and fell on a liquid substance left sitting on the highly polished floors at the defendant’s restaurant.

Client’s Injuries: Left patella contusion with posttraumatic chondromalacia patella, mild lateral femoral condyle and lateral tibial plateau contusion.

$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when…
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$151.9k

Premises Liability

Facts: The plaintiff, age 3, was a patron of South Sea Seafood Restaurant, which was located at 2168 S. Archer Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, when the defendant, an exchange student from Seoul, South Korea, spun a lazy Susan tray containing a pitcher of hot tea that subsequently fell off the lazy Susan tray causing boiling hot water to spill onto the child.

Client’s Injuries: Scald burn to left extremity and right body, right elbow, right thigh, and right calf

$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property…
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$150k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was walking on public property when she slipped and fell due to the defendant property owner’s negligence in the maintenance of their property by piling up shoveled snow adjacent to the exit sidewalk. We successfully argued that the property owner should not have piled the snow up so near the exit to the premises, which in turn allowed it to thaw and refreeze creating an icing condition on the sidewalk, which caused the slip and fall which resulted in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Lumbosacral strain, C5-C6 disc bulge, foraminal stenosis, nerve root irritation.

$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he…
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$135k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was on his way to work when he came onto the sidewalk in front of the office building where he worked where he slipped and fell on ice formed by runoff from the building.

Client’s Injuries: Fracture of the left femoral neck (hip fracture).

$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on…
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$125k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client tripped and fell due to the defendant’s negligence in the maintenance of its property. The defendant failed to adequately secure the carpeting on the stairway leading down from the second floor; allowing the stairway to exist with a lack of uniform sized treads and risers; not having sufficient handrails and having inadequate lighting, resulting in our client’s injuries.

Client’s Injuries: Bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle which led to an open reduction internal fixation operation.

$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client. Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to…
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$110k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was a patron at the defendant’s restaurant when a server spilled a pot of boiling water onto our client.

Client’s Injuries: Severe burns to right shoulder, right arm, chest, and face; diagnosed with full thickness skin loss due to 3rd degree burns to the forehead, cheek, upper arm, and shoulder.

$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator…
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$100k

Premises Liability

Facts: Our client was in an elevator at 5838 N. Sheridan Rd. when the elevator dropped and fell multiple floors until it fell into the elevator pit.

$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the…
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$90k

Premises Liability

Facts: The defendant was visiting our client’s home and while our client was escorting the defendant to her car as she was leaving the premises, the defendant ran into and pushed our client to the ground because the defendant overreacted to seeing a stray animal in the street.

Client’s Injuries: Suffered a comminuted fracture in the distal end or metaphysic of the radius with fractured lines extending to the distal articular cortical margin; open reduction internal fixation surgery to repair her fractured wrist.

Contact a Chicago Falling Merchandise Attorney for a Free Consultation

Were you injured in a falling merchandise accident in Chicago, IL? Mark L. Karno & Associates has the experience to take on major retailers and fight for the maximum possible compensation. Call us at (312) 701-0090 or reach out online to schedule your free consultation today.

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Legal Theories & Liability

  • Premises Liability Overview
  • Attractive Nuisance Doctrine
  • Building Code Violations
  • Dram Shop Liability
  • Failure To Warn/Unmarked Hazards
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Hazards & Dangerous Conditions

  • Broken Handrails
  • Ceiling Collapse
  • Dangerous Conditions
  • Defective Stairs
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  • Falling Merchandise
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  • Chicago
  • Cicero
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I’m very thankful to Mark Karno & Associates. They got me what I deserved! Very professional and would definitely recommend to family and friends, if an event would arise. Thank you Mr. Hyzy, Breann, Rebecca & Elissa!! It’s been a pleasure!

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Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC
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Chicago office
33 N LaSalle St
Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60602

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Phone (312) 701-0090 Fax (312) 701-0600

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1444 N Farnsworth Ave
Suite 1050
Aurora, IL 60505

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Phone (630) 406-8400

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Suite 2630
Miami, FL 33131

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Phone (305) 580-0000

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