Customer sues Aurora auto shop over foot injury

A popular Aurora auto shop is being sued by a man who says he was injured in summer 2018 when an employee invited him into the shop to look at his vehicle and the lift fell on the man's foot.

In a lawsuit filed in Kane County, Ricky Rodriguez Torres seeks more than $50,000 in damages from Velazquez Performance Exhaust, 702 N. Lake St., in connection with the July 30, 2018, case.

"It's a pretty dangerous place back there," said Torres' attorney, Bernard Weiler. "When you invite someone back, you have to take care of them, not drop a lift on his foot."

A message left at Velazquez was not returned.

According to the lawsuit, an employee at Velazquez invited Torres onto the auto shop floor to show Torres something on his vehicle, which was being held by a mechanical lift.

"While Torres was in the vicinity of the suspended vehicle, suddenly, and without warning, the lift lowered onto his foot, causing severe bodily injury," argues the lawsuit, which claims the employee's negligence resulted in Torres being "violently struck" by the lift.

Weiler said his client, who is in his 30s, walked with a cane from previous injuries to both legs and feet. Weiler declined to elaborate on the specific injuries inflicted on Torres' foot.

"He can still walk with a cane but it's painful for him," Weiler said. "It's severely debilitating to him."

The two sides are next due in court on Sept. 30.