EAST ST. LOUIS — A woman claims she was life-flighted to a trauma center after a trailer tongue jack and wheel axle collapsed and crushed her leg while she was cleaning up storm damage.
Eva Winn filed a complaint June 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Torin Inc., Torin Jacks Inc., and C.R. Brophy Machine Works Inc., alleging negligence and strict product liability.
Winn alleges in her complaint that she and her husband were doing storm cleanup work on a property located on Greg Hollow Road in Thebes on June 21, 2019. She claims the property's ground was "saturated and muddy" due to severe weather that had passed through the area and that a "homemade" utility trailer equipped with a jack and wheel was parked on the property. Winn claims that while taking a break from cleanup work, she joined her husband who was sitting on the "A-frame tongue" of the trailer, the tongue came down and collapsed on her leg. According to her complaint, Winn's leg became crushed and trapped under the trailer and eventually she was life-flighted to a trauma center to be treated for severe injuries to her leg, foot and ankle.
Winn alleges the defendants, who manufactured and supplied the trailer, jack and wheel, failed to warn of the danger and failed to have a reasonably safe design in the manufacturing of their products.
Winn seeks compensation of more than $75,000, trial by jury and all other just relief. She is represented by Damon Mathias of Mathias Raphael PLLC in Chicago.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:21-CV-00680-SPM