One Year After Fire, Pain Endures For North Side Family Who Lost Son
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One year ago today, a North Side family lost their ten year-old son in a tragic apartment building fire.
Now, the parents are speaking out for the first time about the loss they
suffered and the pain that endures.
The couple spoke to CBS 2's Derrick Blakley in this original report.
"Still I can't believe this happened to us," said Tahir Khan. "I can't believe I lost him, my son. It bothers me every second in my life."
One year ago today, when fire swept the Khan family's Hollywood Park apartment building, the parents took drastic action to survive.
Khan says he had no other choice but to toss his children out the window.
"There was no other way to get out from that apartment," he said. "That was it."
Two children, Ammar and Hafsah, survived the fall from their third-floor apartment, but ten-year-old Ans Khan didn't jump.
"We threw our youngest child and then we came back to my son and we both hold his hand," Maria Tahir said. "He was too much scared."
Firefighters discovered Ans's body inside. His mother passed out, spending three weeks in the hospital for smoke inhalation and his father jumped, suffering broken legs, ribs and a broken back, hospitalized for a month. The parents couldn't attend his funeral they were so badly hurt.
"It still bothers," Khan said. "It's gonna bother me all my life."
The family's attorney is suing the landlord because the building lacked working smoke detectors. Maria says there was no alarm and if there was, they might have been able to save her son.
But a newly amended suit claims the city of Chicago was negligent as well.
"The city caught this landlord on multiple occasions, cited him, but should have shut him down and had the city done their job, this never would have happened to the Khans," said attorney Tim Cavanagh.
To allay the fire fears of their children, the Khans' apartment is filled with smoke detectors, smoke masks and rope ladders, all to no avail.
"They are not normal kids now," Maria said.
Tahir Khan drove a CTA bus for ten years, but his multiple injuries won't allow him to continue. He's hoping the CTA will help find him a non-driving job.
