The estate of a woman who died jumping from a Rogers Park apartment building to escape a fire filed a lawsuit Thursday against the building’s owners.
The lawsuit filed by the family of Maria Silva alleges Touhy and Clark LLC, the owners of the four-story brick building at 1745 W. Touhy Ave., failed to provide properly functioning smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, fire escapes and heat-sensing devices throughout the building.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Circuit Court of Cook County alleges Touhy and Clark LLC is responsible for paying damages in excess of $30,000.
The lawsuit alleges that Silva, 51, was forced to jump from her third-floor apartment on June 5 when “she had no other way to escape heat and flames which had engulfed some or all of the defendant’s building.”
Silva’s death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The lawsuit demanded the matter be tried before a jury.
Margaret Reed, who was arrested and charged with aggravated arson and murder in the fire, was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. She is due back in criminal court June 26.
When reached Thursday evening by phone, Jason Skiouris, who is listed as a manager of the Touhy and Clark LLC on the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, said he had no comment.
Twitter @Tessa_Weinberg
MORE COVERAGE:
More Top Picks Best Dual Channel Tens Ems Units