New Mexico lawmaker receives $30,000 settlement from injuries in door incident at state Capitol

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico state lawmaker reached a $30,000 settlement with the state four years after being crushed by doors that were newly installed at the state Capitol.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Democratic state Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, of Albuquerque, claimed that she was “severely injured” in January 2020 when she used her keycard to get through a door. The lawsuit states that the door “closed abruptly and forcefully on the left side of her body, causing her to suffer injuries.” The state had just installed new doors in the Capitol, along with the keycard system.

The lawsuit alleges that the building superintendent later told Roybal Caballero the door had been installed incorrectly, which caused it to “snap closed unexpectedly.”

About $25,000 of the settlement will be used to reimburse people who provided care or helped pay after the injury, which could include medical professionals and insurance companies, according to the New Mexican.