EDWARDSVILLE – A mother filed a Dram Shop suit against Doit's Village Inn after her son suffered a brain injury in a bar fight, which allegedly contributed to his eventual suicide.
Plaintiff Penny Andrews, acting individually and as Special Administrator of the Estate of Chance Strader, and Katelynn Klaesner, filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Doit's Village Inn, Inc., citing negligence in violation of the Dram Shop Act..
According to the lawsuit, on June 17, 2022, Strader was a patron at the Doit's Village Inn in Granite City. The lawsuit states that while Strader was on the premises, he was attacked by several intoxicated patrons, resulting in a serious brain injury. The lawsuit states that Strader's brain injury contributed to his eventual death by suicide.
According to Andrews, Doit's was negligent in failing to provide proper security to protect the safety of its patrons, failing to intervene in the altercation and failing to provide adequate assistance or medical care.
The lawsuit adds that the defendant violated the Dram Shop Act by selling alcohol to the attackers to the point of intoxication, which allegedly led them to commit the drunken assault on Strader.
The lawsuit claims that up until his death, Strader incurred medical expenses, and impairment of his ability to enjoy normal life and earn income.
The plaintiffs claim that as a result of Strader's death, they have suffered grief and loss of his companionship.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and any relief the court deems to be proper. They are represented in this case by attorneys John T. Hipskind and Brady M. McAninch of Hipskind & McAninch, LLC in Belleville.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2023LA000875