Chicago Tribune Jon Yates column

By Jon Yates, Chicago Tribune

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Sept. 07--The temperatures hovered around freezing Jan. 10 when William Gruenthal visited a Chase bank in Bolingbrook.

On his way back to the parking lot, Gruenthal slipped on a patch of ice and hit his head on the pavement.

Two customers helped him off the ground and ushered him back into the building, but his injuries were significant.

The Bolingbrook resident suffered whiplash, a concussion and a nasty cut on the back of his head, his family said.

"He felt a tingling down his arms," said his wife, Lucille Gruenthal. "He thought he was dying."

A bank official met him inside the branch and told him Chase would pay for his medical expenses, Lucille Gruenthal said.

"The bank was saying they'd pay for everything, 'Don't worry about anything,'" Lucille Gruenthal said.

William Gruenthal went to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. His health insurance paid most of the charges but left him with $1,648.29 in out-of-pocket expenses.

In the weeks that followed, the Gruenthals kept in touch with Chase, which instructed them to file a claim with the bank's insurance company, Broadspire.

Lucille Gruenthal said the couple filled out all the paperwork, answered all of the insurance company's questions and figured they had a solid claim. The couple says the ice was unsalted at the time of the fall and it was on Chase's property.

In late spring, the insurance company reached its decision.

"They said, 'We're not legally responsible,'" Lucille Gruenthal said.

The couple called Chase, which directed them back to Broadspire. Broadspire said, simply, it would not pay the claim, Lucille Gruenthal said.

To avoid a hit on their credit report, the couple paid the $1,648.29.

Still without reimbursement nine months later, the Gruenthals emailed "What's Your Problem?"

"The bank says, 'We feel for you; we wish we could do more. We don't want to lose you as a customer,'" Lucille Gruenthal said. "We're not looking to sue the bank; we just want our out-of-pocket expenses."

She said her husband still has dizzy spells from the fall but is finally starting to feel better.

"The doctors say it could take up to a year to completely heal," she said.

The Problem Solver called Chase spokeswoman Christine Holevas, who promised to look into the case.

On Friday afternoon, Holevas emailed to say the situation had been fixed.

"We're sorry it took so long," Holevas said. "We talked with Mr. and Mrs. Gruenthal and have resolved it."

Lucille Gruenthal said a Chase representative called the couple Friday to apologize. "The main office said this was never brought to their attention and this should never have happened."

She said they picked up a cashier's check Saturday at the bank, and Chase paid the entire $1,648.29.

"I'm very happy," she said. "We have two kids in college, and a little money is going to help a lot."

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