Woman Wins $200K Verdict Over Bank Tube

Case Background

The case of Andrea Reilly, formerly known as Andrea Wood, v. Ion Bank took place from an unusual and painful accident at a drive-up banking facility in Prospect, Connecticut. On December 9, 2022, Reilly went to the Ion Bank branch on Waterbury Road to complete a routine banking transaction using the drive-through system. What should have been a quick stop ended with a serious hand and arm injury that led her to file a negligence lawsuit against the bank.

Reilly, a local resident of Prospect, claimed the accident was caused by the careless actions of an Ion Bank employee operating the pneumatic tube system a common drive-up feature used to send canisters between customers and tellers. Her lawsuit was filed in July 2023 in the Waterbury Judicial District of the Connecticut Superior Court.

Cause

According to Reilly’s complaint, the accident happened when she returned the empty canister to its holder at the drive-up tube. Just as she placed it on the holder but before she had released her grip an Ion Bank employee inside the branch pressed the button that activates the vacuum-powered air compressor. The system immediately created a powerful suction, pulling the canister, and with it, Reilly’s hand and arm into the tube.

She alleged that this sudden and forceful pull injured her left arm, shoulder, neck, and hand. Her claim was that Ion Bank, through its employees, failed to operate the drive-up system safely, and that the incident was entirely preventable if basic precautions had been followed.

The Negligence Allegations

Reilly’s complaint outlined several ways in which Ion Bank’s employees were negligent:

1. They failed to make sure her hand was safely away from the tube before recalling the canister.

2. They did not wait until she had driven away before pressing the return button.

3. They failed to watch where her hand was positioned.

4. They gave no warning that the canister was being recalled.

5. They fail