Two Illinois women have filed a lawsuit alleging they were injured when equipment collapsed during the Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual Lightscape holiday lights event, according to a court filing.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 29 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that Skokie resident Ariel James and her friend Shelli Loesch were visiting the Garden to see the popular exhibition on the night of Dec. 20 with James’s mother and several children when a projection screen and its rigging supports collapsed.
The lawsuit names Culture Creative Ltd., the Edinburgh-based company that produces Lightscape; the Chicago Horticultural Society, which operates the Garden; and the Forest Preserves of Cook County, which owns the property.
Loesch, who recently moved back to Illinois after living in California for 20 years, suffered a head injury with loss of consciousness, a broken left ankle and tibia and a fractured coccyx and was hospitalized for four nights, according to the lawsuit.
“She is going to have problems for a long time, if not the rest of her life,” said attorney Erron Fisher, who represents James and Loesch.
James alleges in the lawsuit she sustained severe and permanent injuries and damage to her head, shoulder and neck, as well as multiple fractures to her left wrist.
“It’s a bad injury,” Fisher said. “We just don’t know her prognosis yet.”
Fisher said the children who accompanied James and Loesch were not physically injured but were left terrified by the incident.
Both women are initially seeking damages in excess of $50,000, adhering to the court’s jurisdiction, though Fisher said that figure is expected to rise substantially as the case proceeds.
“It will be based on the nature, extent and duration of the injuries, medical treatment and damages,” he said.
Fisher said it remains unclear whether wind played a role in the collapse. The lawsuit alleges the defendants were negligent in failing to properly install and secure the equipment.
The Forest Preserves are also accused in the lawsuit of committing “willful and wanton” acts by allowing the event to proceed without adequate safety standards, including allowing a structure that could not withstand winds of 16 miles per hour.
Fisher said an investigation is ongoing as part of the discovery process.
“We believe this was not properly anchored or tethered to the ground,” he said. “Our goal is this does not happen again. This is a very large event attended by families and children, and it must be done safely.”
In a statement, the Chicago Botanic Garden said it has been notified of the lawsuit but does not comment on pending litigation.
“We intend to review the filing carefully and respond appropriately,” the statement said. “Visitor and employee safety is our first and foremost priority.”
Carl Vogel, a spokesman for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, said the agency also does not comment on pending litigation.
Culture Creative said in an email that it is reviewing the matter.
“While we don’t comment on pending litigation, visitor safety is, and always will be, our priority,” the company said.
A Cook County Circuit Court spokesman said a court date has been scheduled for Feb. 25.
Lightscape, which recently completed its seventh year, runs annually from mid-November through early January at the Glencoe-based Garden.
Garden spokeswoman Julie McCaffrey said final attendance figures are not yet available for the 2025-26 event, though approximately 195,000 people attended last year’s event in 2024-25.
