Salcedo

FACTS

Beginning in 2002, Salcedo worked for Riverside County as a information technology user support technician (“user tech” or “tech”). This generally involved working on and installing computer and network equipment for the employees of Riverside County. In 2007 she was promoted to user support tech level III, and in 2016 she was promoted to user support tech III-lead, which was her position for the relevant events in this lawsuit. In mid-April 2017, an incident occurred on the job in which Salcedo rode in a work vehicle where a fire extinguisher had exploded. As a result of exposure to chemicals in the fire extinguisher, she developed a condition called chemical pneumonia. To address her condition, Salcedo consulted with a workers’ compensation attorney, who referred her to Dr. Dimitri Sirakoff. Dr. Sirakoff did a full physical evaluation of Salcedo. Over the years of her employment with Riverside County, Dr. Sirakoff determined Salcedo developed injuries that became worse over time in her neck, hips, and knees. Dr. Sirakoff interviewed Salcedo and noted that her job involved “sitting, walking, standing, bending from the neck and waist, squatting, climbing, kneeling,…