Lawsuit filed by families of three men killed in explosion near Starved Rock State Park

PRESS CONFERENCE: TODAY

11 a.m.

Law Offices of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C.

161 N. Clark St. Suite 4700

Chicago, IL 60601

(mask required for entry)

CHICAGO – The Illinois law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the families of three men who were killed in an explosion near Starved Rock State Park in May.

On May 6, 2021, brothers Immer Rivera Tejada, 39, Rafael Rivera Tejada, 36, and their nephew Guillermo Rivera Tejada, 26, of Chicago arrived at Starved Rock State Park to fish along the Illinois River. The men made a campfire to cook their fish on the south bank of the river. While creating a campfire, the men found what appeared to them to be a copper pipe and used it prop up a cast iron pan to cook their fish.

At approximately 7:07 p.m., one of the men video-called his son to show his catch of the day before placing the fish over the fire. A screenshot of this video call later posted by the family on social media revealed that the copper pipe used to prop up the pan on the fire, was actually – unbeknownst to the three men – an explosive rod utilized by nearby construction and blasting companies working on the old Rt. 178 bridge at Starved Rock State Park. At approximately 7:15 p.m., with enough exposure to the heat of the fire, the copper pipe heated up and exploded, killing each of the three men.

“To a person with no knowledge of explosive devices, the object the Rivera Tejadas found near their fishing site would have looked like a harmless copper pipe,” Plaintiffs’ Attorney Patrick A. Salvi, said.

An investigation by the Illinois State Police uncovered that approximately 100 yards from where the men were allowed to find this explosive device, construction and blasting companies utilized these same explosive devices, known as linear shaped charges, during the March 18, 2021 planned detonation of the old Rt. 178 bridge.

The investigation further revealed that eleven days following the March 18, 2021 detonation of the old Rt. 178 bridge, these same construction and blasting companies found an explosive device that did not detonate as planned during the March 18, 2021 detonation. The construction and blasting companies did not report this finding to any regulatory body. Rather, a second explosive device remained unaccounted for until the three men found it on May 6, 2021.

Following the deadly explosion on May 6, 2021, several items were collected from the scene of the explosion where the three men were killed. Chemical testing performed by the FBI revealed that soil from the explosion site, as well as clothing from one of the victims tested positive for the explosive compound used by the construction and blasting companies. In a report prepared by the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office, the Coroner cited the FBI test results and concluded, “items of evidentiary value were tested for explosive residue, some of which tested positive for the high explosive cyclo-1,3,5-trinitramine, commonly known as RDX. This explosive matches the commercial explosives utilized during the scheduled demolition of the steel truss portion of the old Rt. 178 bridge on 03/18/2021.”

On September 22, 2021, the family’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against the construction and blasting companies responsible for the explosive devices. The lawsuit claims the construction and blasting companies failed to control explosives at all times and failed to perform an adequate post-blast inspection. The lawsuit alleges the construction and blasting companies failed to prevent an explosive device from falling into a layperson’s hands, even after discovering one of their undetonated explosive devices eleven days after the initial detonation.

The three men each leave behind a family, including seven minor children total, ranging in age from 3 years old to 15 years old. Each of the Rivera Tejada men lived within a few blocks of one another in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, working together to raise their families before their tragic deaths.

“Had these companies done their due diligence to secure the area and thoroughly clean up the dangerous items used to demolish the bridge, Immer, Rafael and Guillermo would still be with us today. While nothing will ease the heartbreak their wives and children are grappling with after this immense loss, we hope this lawsuit will prevent similar senseless tragedies from occurring in the future,” Mr. Salvi said.

The Rivera Tejada family is also represented by Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard attorneys Tara R. Devine, John A. Mennie and Jaclyn J. Kurth.

The Rivera Tejada family and their attorneys will discuss the case and new developments during a press conference on Thursday, September 23 at 11 a.m. at the Law Offices of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard (161 N. Clark St. Suite 4700, Chicago, IL 60601). For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at (312)-372-1227 or mmangan@salvilaw.com.