(Sibley)– An August 2021 ruling that a man who was injured in a work accident in Sibley could not sue the city has been overturned by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The lawsuit stemmed from a construction accident in 2018. Victor Maldonado of Worthington, Minnesota was working on a building in downtown Sibley on September 26th, 2018. Maldonado was lowering an aluminum downspout when it come into contact with a city of Sibley electrical line. The suit claims Maldonado suffered burns as a result, and that it caused him to fall off the building’s roof, about 20 feet to the alley below, causing serious injuries. The lawsuit claimed the city of Sibley was negligent for failing to keep the power line a required minimum distance from the building.
The appeals court ruling in January allowed the suit to continue. The city of Sibley agreed to pay Maldonado $2.6 million, but the settlement is not an admission of liability. The payout won’t come from city coffers, but instead will be paid by the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool, of which Sibley is a member.
(Courtesy Community First Broadcasting station KIWA in Sheldon)
