March 24--The mother of a Bartlett man who died last year while attending a rock concert at the Aragon Ballroom is suing the Uptown venue and its co-owner Live Nation for wrongful death.
Kyle Kirchhoff, a defensive line coach for the College of DuPage, was attending a Chevelle show May 22 with two of his friends when they found a door that eventually led to a catwalk.
He died after falling about 4 feet from the elevated portion of the catwalk to the floor below, which contained cords, wooden planks and protruding metal rods, according to the lawsuit filed March 10 in Cook County Circuit Court by Denise Kirchhoff.
An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office determined blunt penetrating trauma of the chest to be the cause of death, according to the suit.
Denise Kirchhoff claims the Aragon and Live Nation allowed dangerous conditions; failed to lock the door that led to the catwalk; failed to warn against entering the door that led to the catwalk; and failed to inspect the premises to identify a safety hazard.
"We do feel that the Aragon failed to do what was reasonable to keep concertgoers safe," Kirchhoff's attorney, Bruno Marasso, told the Tribune.
The city Building Department and Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau carried out a joint inspection at the Aragon, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., one day after Kirchhoff's death. Investigators determined his fatal fall was unrelated to building code violations.
Denise Kirchhoff is seeking more than $50,000, costs of the suit and a jury trial. Aragon and Live Nation representatives did not respond to a Tribune request for comment.
