McCready Law Files Suit Against Rockford Housing Authority Over Park Terrace High-Rise Fire

Rockford, Illinois – McCready Law has filed a lawsuit in Winnebago County Circuit Court on behalf of Tommy Gantt Jr., who suffered serious injuries escaping a 2024 fire at Park Terrace Apartments, a 14-story public-housing complex owned and operated by the Rockford Housing Authority (RHA). 

According to the complaint, the fire began on the first floor, sending heavy smoke through the building.(Tommy Gantt Jr. v. Rockford Housing Authority and Park Terrace Apartments, Case No. 2025-LA-0000356), Mr. Gantt was forced to jump from a window when thick smoke and inoperable elevators trapped residents and visitors during the early-morning blaze on October 17, 2024.

The suit alleges RHA failed to maintain adequate fire-safety systems, install sprinklers, ensure functional elevators and exits, or provide an effective evacuation plan for the building’s elderly and disabled population. The City of Rockford later deemed the building unsafe until critical systems were repaired.

“Our client faced an impossible choice: burn inside or leap for his life,” said Jess D. Jordan, attorney for Mr. Gantt. “This tragedy was foreseeable and preventable. Public-housing residents and their guests deserve safe, code-compliant homes.”

The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000 and calls for accountability and improved life-safety standards in public housing.

These claims are allegations that must be proven in court. The case, Tommy Gantt Jr. v. Rockford Housing Authority and Park Terrace Apartments, No. 2025-LA-0000356, is pending in Winnebago County Circuit Court; a copy of the complaint is available upon request. 

CASE INFORMATION
Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Winnebago County, Illinois.
Tommy Gantt Jr. v. Rockford Housing Authority and Park Terrace Apartments
Complaint: Negligence (Counts I and II) against Rockford Housing Authority and Park Terrace Apartments.
Case number: 2025-LA-0000356.