Blumenshine warns O’Hare and Midway injury claims may face a one-year deadline

Blumenshine Law Group says injured travelers at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports may have only 12 months to sue if the City of Chicago or its aviation department caused the hazard. The firm is urging travelers to document incidents fast because airport video and other evidence can disappear quickly.

Why it matters: - Many Illinois injury claims allow two years to file, but airport cases at O’Hare and Midway can drop to one year depending on who controlled the hazard. - Missing the deadline can end a claim even when the facts appear strong. - Chicago’s airports are busier in summer, which can increase exposure to wet floors, crowded jet bridges and shared equipment traffic.

What happened: - Blumenshine Law Group said travelers hurt at O’Hare or Midway should not assume Illinois’ standard two-year filing window applies. - The firm said the controlling question is who was responsible for the injury location. - O’Hare served nearly 85 million passengers in 2025, about 6% more than the prior year. - Scott Blumenshine said a case can fail because the filing deadline expired, not because proof is lacking.

The details: - The City of Chicago owns both airports, and the Department of Aviation runs them. - The City does not control every area of the airports. - Airlines rent gates, cleaning companies handle floors, and shops control their own spaces. - If the City of Chicago or the Department of Aviation caused the injury, the deadline is one year under the Tort Immunity Act, 745 ILCS 10/8-101(a). - If a cleaning company, airline, shop or restaurant caused the injury, the standard Illinois deadline is two years under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. - Airport and airline workers generally use workers’ compensation, and injured workers can still sue another company that caused the injury under 820 ILCS 305/5(b). - The deadline to file a Workers’ Compensation Act claim is three years. - Blumenshine said a jet bridge can involve multiple responsible parties, including the airline, the City, a contractor and another equipment company. - Blumenshine said maintenance records and contracts, not photos alone, often determine who is liable. - Blumenshine said some online advice wrongly tells injured travelers to send the City a formal notice before suing. - Illinois dropped that notice rule years ago. - Blumenshine said the key risk is not a missing letter but a lawsuit not filed within 12 months. - More information is available on the firm’s airport injury page.

Between the lines: - The firm is trying to correct a common timing mistake that could cost travelers their claims before evidence is even evaluated. - Airport injury cases can be more complicated than ordinary slip-and-fall claims because responsibility may be split across public entities, airlines and contractors. - Video evidence may be especially valuable because it can be erased within weeks.

What’s next: - Injured travelers should report the injury before leaving the airport if they can and request the report number. - Travelers should photograph the hazard, warning signs and surrounding area. - Travelers should record the exact terminal, gate or store location. - Travelers should note the company name on the uniform of anyone who responds. - Travelers should contact an airport injury lawyer quickly so evidence preservation letters can go out before video is deleted. - Travelers who go to the hospital without filing a report have not necessarily lost their claims.

The bottom line: - At O’Hare and Midway, the clock can be 12 months, not 24, and the deadline depends on who controlled the dangerous condition.