Court Revives Suit Over Water Worker's Death in Flooded Vault

An Illinois appellate court on Thursday revived a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of a municipal water worker who drowned after being sent alone into an underground vault, ruling that the claims are not barred by workers' compensation exclusivity at the pleading stage. In Heiden v. Village of Westmont, the Illinois Appellate Court for the 3rd District reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the case and remanded for further proceedings. The case stems from the February 2023 death of Matthew Heiden, a 20-year-old employee of the Village of Westmont’s water depart...