After sustaining injuries from her fall down an unmarked, unlit staircase in the Humanities Building last February, Rebecca T. Eklund filed a claim against the college for more than $4,500.

Sue Ehrlich, vice president of Human Resources and Legal Affairs, said the Board has chosen its path, but would not elaborate on what action that entails.

The Board of Trustees discussed the potential lawsuit with legal counsel in closed session on Nov. 19.

Board Vice President Dr. Joe Dobbs and board member Sally Green declined to comment to The Channels.

When Administrative Services received Eklund’s claim at the end of the Spring 2009 semester, she had not yet received bills from surgery and costs for emergency room services before filing her claim. The total dollar amount is pending.

On Feb. 25, one of Eklund’s classes had been relocated to a bottom floor room in the Humanities Building. The door was open, but the classroom was dark.

“I walked in and immediately fell down three to four unmarked and unlit stairs,” Eklund said in her claim. “If the stairs had been marked and lit, I would not have fallen.”

Eklund broke her left ankle in three different places. She had nine pins surgically inserted within hours and was in the hospital for two days.

After surgery and release from Cottage Hospital, she still could not put weight on her left ankle for three months. She used a wheelchair to attend some of her classes, but withdrew from 4.5 units of Culinary Arts courses that required her to stand.

“This change in my schedule does not allow me to complete the Culinary Arts program in the normal four semesters and will not allow me to enter the work force as soon as planned,” she said.

Estimated costs for the future include an additional semester of registration, books, equipment, and another semester of living expenses that she did not originally need.

During recovery, she suffered from bedsores and painful swelling of veins, which required additional visits to the emergency room and ongoing treatment.