Injured Des Plaines woman nets $7 million in settlement with Target

An 81-year-old Des Plaines woman claimed $7 million in a settlement with Target this week over a 2007 mishap with an automatic door at a store in Rosemont.

According to her attorney, Phillip Corboy, Claire Putman was entering the Target at 7000 Mannheim Rd. when the door malfunctioned and knocked her to the ground. She struck her head in the fall, and the door struck her in the head again.

Putman was treated at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and suffered brain damage from a subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the surface of the brain, that required surgery. She has lived in a nursing home since.

Target and Besam USA, manufacturer of the door, agreed to the $7 million settlement Tuesday.

"Claire was a lovely, spunky woman who had advanced into her senior years with grace and a dedication to her two children, especially to her 59-year-old daughter who lived with her for a number of years due to her special needs. As a result of what happened two years ago, Claire has been robbed of that ability to take care of her oldest daughter," Corboy said in a statement. "I have all of the faith in the world that this settlement will allow Claire to live out the rest of the her life with dignity at the home she's lived in for over 50 years."