Woman claims defective staircase caused fall at Lisle hotel

A St. Clair County woman says her foot was broken when she allegedly fell down an uneven staircase at a Lisle hotel.

Amy Jo Sawyer filed a lawsuit Sept. 30 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Hyatt Corporation, Area Properties LP, and Robert Gubala.

Sawyer says the fall happened when she was walking down a stairway at the Hyatt Hotel in the 1400 block of Corporetum Drive in July 2013. According to the complaint, Sawyer lost her balance and fell down the stairs because the steps were spaced at an unusually-wide set and were sloped in an uneven direction. She also claims there was no handrail provided.

Sawyer contends her back was hurt and left ankle was broken in the fall. She accuses the hotel and its manager, Gubala, of negligence. Sawyer asks for more than $50,000 in damages for medical expenses and court fees.

Attorneys Ted Dennis and Jim Mendillo of Belleville represent her.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 14-L-666.