A local doctor who fell through an opening in the floor of Northern Valley Indian Health is suing a contractor she says failed to secure the area during an installation.
The doctor, Lourdes Valdez, is now suing McClelland Air Conditioning for negligence. She is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
In her complaint, Valdez claims that the McClelland employees left the crawl space in the floor open without placing any barricades, warning signs, barriers or other precautions to warn people of the potential danger.
According to her lawsuit, Valdez walked through the area while McClelland employees were installing an HVAC unit. She fell into the crawl space and sustained an injury that required her to miss several months of her pediatric practice.
Valdez’s husband, Manuel Sanchez-Palacios, is also included in the complaint as a co-plaintiff. He is suing for being deprived of spousal duties during his wife’s injury.
Barbara Gilmore of McClelland Air Conditioning said she was unaware of the case.
A case management conference is scheduled for July 22 to further evaluate the status of the case.
By Molly Sullivan