Megan Duskey’s Family Sues After Her Death Sliding Down Banister At Swanky Chicago Hotel Party

The family of Megan Duskey, the 23-year-old teacher killed during a costume party in late 2010, is suing the Chicago hotel where the young woman died in an attempt to slide down a banister.

Megan Duskey had only been at the Palmer House Hilton’s “Haunted Hotel Ball” on October 30th of 2010 for 30 minutes when the deadly accident occurred. Duskey mounted a banister with the intent of sliding down it, but fell over the side of the railing.

Subsequently, Duskey plunged four stories to her death, and reportedly, landed in an area that was difficult for partygoers to access. According to reports from the scene, a cousin of Megan Duskey’s eventually retrieved her body as firefighters arrived on scene, and tearfully told the first responders that Duskey was “gone” after falling off the railing.

At the time, Duskey’s death was ruled by a medical examiner in Chicago to be accidental. Now James and Deborah Duskey, Megan’s surviving parents, are suing the Palmer House Hilton, the event management company and hosts for negligence in the death of their daughter in the stairway plunge.

A ten-count civil suit in Megan’s death was filed in Cook County Circuit court, alleging that poor event management and security led to Duskey’s death at the party. The Chicago Tribune reports:

“The suit names Hilton Worldwide, the Palmer House Hilton, Surreal Chicago and Adrenaline Y2K as the hosts of the party… The suit claims the hotel and event hosts allowed people at the ball to ‘consume unlimited amounts of alcoholic beverages’ after they paid for a ticket and failed to provide security to protect the patrons of the ball.'”

Megan Duskey’s parents seek $500,000 in damages in their lawsuit.