Ceiling Tile Falls On Infant
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A mother frightened while giving her daughter a bath. Part of her bathroom ceiling fell on top of the infant.
Kimberly Deleau does everything she can to keep her 5-month-old, Angel, happy and healthy. But recently, when she was giving angel a bath a piece of the ceiling came crashing down on top of her.
"She was crying. I was terrified, ecstatic,” DeLeau explained. "I don't want anything to mess up her development; I want her to be healthy."
DeLeau called for an ambulance. Angel wasn't seriously hurt, but the crumbling ceiling was the final straw for her mother. She called her landlord right away.
"She was very upset and rude because i wanted her to fix the problem. She said it was not there responsibility," DeLeau described.
The Fair Housing Center of Nebraska & Iowa says landlords are required by law to maintain structural, electrical, and water issues that aren't caused by the tennant.
"Just based on what i saw without knowing all the specifics, it looks like the landlord is responsible for making repair to that roof and getting that leaky faucet fixed so this doesn't happen again,” said Joe Garcia, the Director of the Fair Housing Center of Nebraska & Iowa.
Now, the city has sent notices of violations to the landlord, Lisa Sartain, regarding the home that was converted to apartments. More than 60 violations are documented, including cracked ceilings with water damage, mold issues, plumbing hazards, no working smoke detectors, and the building was converted from single family to apartments without being up to code.
A call to the landlord Monday night was not returned. The issues have to be fixed by a couple of deadlines in August and September, or no one can live there.
The Fair Housing Center says it is good to put issues in writing so your landlord has documented proof the problem may exist. They also say you should never stop paying rent if you’re having problems with your landlord. If you’re in a situation like this with your landlord contact the Fair Housing Center of Nebraska & Iowa at 402-934-6675.
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