All posts tagged "Highland Park"

CHICAGO — The Park District of Highland Park reached a $80,000 settlement with a former employee who says he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass shooting he witnessed on the job, according to documents Raw Story exclusively received.

Chris Maliszewski, a former recreation director for the Park District, was terminated from his job in December when he says he was unable to return to work after experiencing a panic attack on the job following an active shooter incident, news Raw Story broke earlier this year.

The panic attack came 10 months after Maliszewski worked the Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade in 2022 that turned deadly when a shooter killed seven people and injured at least 48. ...

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A man who says he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder following a mass shooting he witnessed on the job appears to have settled with his former local government employer, Raw Story exclusively learned.

Four of the five commissioners for the Park District of Highland Park voted Wednesday evening to approve a settlement agreement with an unidentified former employee. One commissioner left the meeting before the vote.

Chris Maliszewski, a former recreation director for the Park District, was terminated from his job in December — news Raw Story broke earlier this year. ...

CHICAGO — One week after a gunman opened fire at a 2022 Fourth of July parade in an affluent Chicago suburb — killing seven people and injuring at least 48 — canceled summer camps for local children officially resumed, with Park District employees present during the massacre having already spent days back at work preparing.

All the while, nonprofits and community organizations flooded the Highland Park, Ill., community with aid. Local government employees received numerous emotional support resources in the immediate weeks after the parade organized by the Park District and city institutions.

But as those weeks following the killings turned into months, communication about available resources significantly diminished. This stanched the recoveries of some Park District employees still profoundly affected after working during the shooting, according to interviews with community members and records from the Park District of Highland Park obtained by Raw Story through an Illinois Freedom of Information Act request. ...

CHICAGO — Local government officials in Highland Park, Ill., recently fired their former director of recreation, Chris Maliszewski, 41, who says he was unable to work after experiencing trauma after working during the mass shooting that occurred at the Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade in 2022, Raw Story has exclusively revealed in a new investigation.

Maliszewski says his firing is “bulls---” and is “exploring pathways to justice" including legal options. Local government officials confirmed he is no longer employed by the Park District of Highland Park but declined to comment further, citing personnel confidentiality issues.

RELATED ARTICLE: Highland Park fires rec director who’s suffering from mass shooting-induced PTSD...

CHICAGO — A recreation director in Highland Park, Ill., who says he suffered psychological trauma following a mass shooting at the suburban city’s 2022 Fourth of July parade, has been fired, according to interviews and government records reviewed by Raw Story.

On Dec. 27, Highland Park officials terminated Chris Maliszewski, 41, who says he is actively being treated for depression, anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the massacre, during which seven people died and at least 48 were injured. Maliszewski is in the midst of a workers’ compensation case initiated while he was on leave from his job through the Family and Medical Leave Act.

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Chaos': Fired Highland Park rec director details trauma of July 4 mass shooting...