• 10
  • February
    2012

A 17-year-old boy was allegedly killed last July near Chicago on Lake Michigan at the hands of a man whose sister began a fight over the Fourth of July holiday. Now, the boy's parents are filing a wrongful death lawsuit in circuit court against that man and members of his family. The lawsuit also says the mother of the man allowed her under-age children to consume alcohol at the beach.

According to the surviving family members' allegations, the sister became verbally and physically abusive after becoming drunk on the beach. She struck the 17-year-old's friend, and although the friend was not violent himself, the woman asked her 19-year-old brother to come and fight the friend. Sadly, the brother arrived and hit the 17-year-old instead of the friend. The 19-year-old's sister never mentioned that the 17-year-old was not involved in the alleged altercation.

The Chicago Post-Tribune reports that the woman's brother sought out the 17-year-old and hit him in the head. Two days after the fight, the 17-year-old died at St. Anthony Medical Center from blunt force trauma to the head. During the boy's autopsy, the coroner ruled his death a homicide.

Immediately after the fight, the woman, her brother and their mother left the teenager lying on the beach. It appears that no one called for emergency medical responders and they drove away despite knowing he was seriously injured. In fact, the mother hid her son for many days in an effort to hide evidence of the fight and his inebriation.

While the parents of the slain 17-year-old know that a wrongful death lawsuit will not bring back their son, but it will give them a sense of justice after his untimely death. The family's suit asks for court costs, damages and attorney fees; the family members also want the lawsuit tried before a jury. In addition to the civil suit, the 19-year-old who caused the son's death is facing criminal charges, including battery, involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated battery.

Source: Chicago Post-Tribune, "Wrongful death suit filed in fatal beach beating," Jan. 18, 2012