Pumpkin Farm Hayride Mishap Leaves Father, Daughter, Grandmother Injured: Lawsuit

HOMER GLEN — A father, his daughter and the girl’s grandmother were all severely injured when a pumpkin farm hayride toppled over and they were thrown from the wagon, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

Marc Garritano and his mother, Roseanne Garritano, are suing Bengtson Pumpkin Farm. The Garritanos are also suing on behalf of Marc Garritano’s minor daughter, Gabriella Garritano.

In addition to the pumpkin farm, the Garritanos have named William J. McEnery and the Standard Bank and Trust Company as defendants. McEnery is a trustee of the William J. McEnery Revocable Trust, the suit said, and the trust owned the farm at the time of the October 2014 accident. Standard Bank and Trust also was an owner, the suit said.

On the day of the alleged incident, the Garritanos boarded the Bengtson hayride attraction, which consisted of a wagon pulled by a trailer, according to the lawsuit.

During the trip, the tractor drove off the paved road onto a gravel surface, taking the wagon with it, the lawsuit said. The wagon then allegedly listed before “violently” falling onto its side, “tossing (the Garritanos) from the wagon, causing severe and extensive injuries” to them.

photo via Patch archive