A woman has filed a lawsuit against Brookfield Zoo after she allegedly developed tetanus from a rusty bench after a visit.
Ashley Lionberg was visiting the zoo at 3300 Golf Rd. in Brookfield with her family in 2013 when she was cut on a bench surrounding the Roosevelt Fountain, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court. The bench was made of “dried, splintering and rotted wood” with “rusted hardware and evidence of fungal/bacterial growth,” the suit states.
A week after the visit, Lionberg said she was diagnosed with tetanus, the suit states.
Her suit claims the zoo failed to maintain the bench and warn visitors of the danger posed by the bench. As a result of her injury, Lionberg has suffered pain, disfigurement, loss of normal life and medical expenses, the suit states.
The four-count lawsuit claims negligence and willful and wanton conduct and seeks at least $200,000 in damages.
A representative for Brookfield Zoo could not be reached for comment on the suit Friday night.
