After staggering towards home drunk from a party one night in Chicago, Sang Yeul Lee felt the need to relieve himself and found a shadowy area in which to do so. An immigrant, he couldn't read signs that said: "Danger," "Keep Out," and "Electric Current." He scrambled over a row of uneven wooden boards laid on the ground as a barrier to deter intruders, wandering onto the grounds of the Chicago Transit Authority's Ravenswood line. He proceeded to urinate on the third rail, which carries 600 volts of electricity, and was electrocuted.

Following his death, Lee's family sued the CTA for negligence, and was awarded $1.5 million. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the verdict, saying that although Lee was drunk and trespassing, and despite the signs and the barrier, the CTA was at fault.

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