Plaintiff injured by falling limb in city park wins personal injury suit

A city of St. Louis jury has awarded more than $1 million to a southern Illinois man injured in July 2021 by a falling tree limb in Tower Grove Park.

George Boulukos, 57, of Carbondale, Illinois, sued The Tower Grove Park Foundation, City of St. Louis and The Board of Commissioners of Tower Grove Park after a dead and decaying tree limb fell on his lower body as he walked on a paved path.

The foundation and the city were dismissed as defendants before trial.

At a December 2025 trial, the jury sided with the plaintiff after five hours of deliberation, rejecting the park’s defense, as summarized by lead plaintiff’s attorney Nolan Drafahl, that “they did the best they could in a park with 6,800 trees” and a “limited budget.”

Drafahl noted that his client’s injuries occurred 12 days after a very significant storm ripped through the park, knocking over dozens of trees and damaging many others.

Further, a tree inventory conducted for the park five years prior by a third party showed that the tree which fell on Boulukos’ leg  had “excessive deadwood ” and posed a moderate risk, the attorney said.

Attorneys for the city did not respond to a request for comment.

“The third-party company’s management plan suggested that the park get to every tree for pruning within a five-year cycle,” Drafahl said, citing an expected cost of $1.16 million.

That amount effectively now goes to the plaintiff, who sought $350,000 in his last demand, which Drafahl said was countered with a$240,000 final offer and a defense request at closing to limit damages to no more than $75,000.

“This was not a budgetary issue, but a resource allocation issue,” he said. “Large limbs hanging over walking paths should not be left dead and rotting for years.”

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$1.15 million jury verdict for the plaintiff

Personal injury

Case Number/Date: 2322-CC01270/December 18, 2025

Court: City of St. Louis Circuit Court

Judge: Circuit Judge Lynne Perkins

Injuries alleged: leg, knee, ankle, foot
Injuries detail: Plaintiff suffered a crush injury to his lower left leg, requiring surgeries on his tibia and ankle, as well as pain management.

Plaintiff’s expert: Mark Duntemann, Natural Path Urban Forestry Consultants, Oak Park, Illinois (arborist)

Caption: George Boulukos v. The Board of Commissioners of Tower Grove Park
Plaintiff’s attorneys: Nolan Drafahl (lead) and Julia Drafahl; Drafahl Law Firm, St. Louis

Defendant’s attorneys: Rachael Hagan (lead) and Jay Hollman, St. Louis City Counselor’s Office, St. Louis