Sibley, Iowa — A Worthington man, who was electrocuted while working an a construction project in Sibley in 2018, has filed a negligence lawsuit against the City of Sibley.
According to documents filed in Osceola County, Victor Maldonado was part of a renovation crew that was working on a building in downtown Sibley, on September 26, 2018. During the project, Maldonado was lowering an aluminum down spout to connect to the building’s gutter, when the down spout came in contact with an electrical line that sent a current through the down spout and Maldonado’s body causing, according to the lawsuit, devastating electrical burn injuries, and causing Maldonado to fall off the building’s roof, about 20 feet to the alley below, causing severe injuries.
Maldonado’s lawsuit accuses the City of Sibley of negligence for allegedly failing to keep the electrical line a required minimum distance from the building. As a result, Maldonado asserts the City of Sibley knew, or should have known, that a serious injury would result.
Maldonado’s suit says he suffered “severe burns, facial and cranial fractures, brain injury, loss of function in limbs, blindness in one eye and other injuries.” Maldonado’s wife, Lidia Ochoa, who is also listed in the filing as his “Guardian”, is also a plaintiff in the action.
The suit asks for unspecified damages, and Maldonado has demanded a jury hear the case.
