Woman sues Sacramento nonprofit alleging puddles on downtown ice rink caused injury

A woman has sued a Sacramento nonprofit over an injury last winter at the downtown ice rink.

Shalyn Compean visited the rink, at 7th and K streets, on Jan. 14, the lawsuit filed in Sacramento Superior Court Thursday alleges.

On that day, pools of water formed across the rink and created a “water gap” between the ice and the railings, according to the lawsuit.

Compean was ice skating with her daughter when she was forced to move away from the rink wall, because the conditions of melting ice between the wall and rink were unsafe to skate across, the lawsuit alleges. Once she was away from the wall’s support, another skater using a skate assist device struck her, causing her to fall and land on her back.

Rink employees came to her aid and she repeatedly asked for an ambulance, the lawsuit alleges. Instead, the employees attempted to remove her from the ice using materials found at the rink, and forcibly removed her skate from her right foot, causing extensive damage to her right ankle.

The lawsuit claims negligence and liability on the part of the rink operators, Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The partnership is a Property Based Improvement District that represents businesses downtown. Its representatives did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The partnership is launching a roller rink at the same location starting June 28. It plans to re-open the ice rink in November in time for winter.