Construction worker sues Sibley after electrocution

Published 8:00 pm Friday, May 29, 2020

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa — A construction worker from Minnesota who was electrocuted and fell from a building is suing the city of Sibley, Iowa, for negligence.

Victor Maldonado, of Worthington, Minnesota, alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the city knew the high-voltage power line was too close to the building and did not comply with safety codes.

Maldonado and his wife, Lidia Ochoa, are seeking damages of more than $75,000.

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Maldonado was working on a rain gutter project on the building’s roof in September, 2018, when the power line sent a current through an aluminum downspout he was holding and into his body. He fell about 20 feet to an alley.

Maldonado suffered severe electrical burns, facial and cranial fractures, a brain injury, loss of function in limbs and blindness in one eye.

City attorney Harold Dawson could not be reached for comment Thursday, The Sioux City Journal reported.