Etelvina Jimenez was hospitalized after falling and hitting her head on exercise equipment at a Sacramento gym in 2011.

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Safety concerns are being raised over exercise equipment at one of America's most popular gyms after a 60-year-old Sacramento woman was badly hurt and, according to her doctor, nearly died from injuries she suffered during a workout.In 2011, Etelvina Jimenez was running on a treadmill at 24 Hour Fitness off Florin Road in Sacramento when she fell and hit her head.For more than two months following her accident, Jimenez was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries for injuries to her head, including a swollen brain. She also lost her memory."I don't know anything that happened to me from that accident because I don't remember anything," Jimenez said in Spanish through an interpreter.Five years later, Jimenez is still working on getting her memory back."My memory, I'm not able to think, I think less," she said. "For instance, I'm not able to drive because I cannot think clearly which way I'm going."Now, with the help of Sacramento Attorney Moseley Collins, Jimenez is suing 24 Hour Fitness. The lawsuit claims when she fell, Jimenez hit her head on another exercise machine placed too closely behind her treadmill at the gym."One of the goals of this lawsuit is to force 24 Hour to stop putting out their machines in a way that violates the safety zone," Collins said.In the treadmill's assembly guide, one installation requirement reads: "The minimum space requirement needed for user safety and proper maintenance is 3 feet wide by 6 feet deep directly behind the running belt."However, Collins said photos, provided to KCRA 3, show that an accident reconstruction expert measured the distance to be just 3 feet 10 inches at the accident site.KCRA 3 reached out to 24 Hour Fitness for comment and was told, "As a matter of policy, 24 Hour Fitness does not comment on pending litigation."Representatives from the California Department of Consumer Affairs and Sacramento County said gym safety equipment is not regulated or inspected by any government agency.A Sacramento Superior Court judge initially threw out Jimenez's lawsuit. But in June, an appeals court reinstated it.According to that ruling, lawyers for 24 Hour Fitness argued Jimenez's claims were barred by a liability release she signed that states, in English, 24 Hour Fitness, "will not be liable for any injury." However, the three appellate judges note, "Etelvina could not read or speak English."For her part, Jimenez said the five-year road to her recovery has created a significant financial burden."If I go to see the doctor a lot of medications and prescriptions, I have to pay for them because medical will not cover them," she said.She's still seeking reimbursement for her medical costs and lost wages, in addition to compensation for pain and suffering.The case is set to go to trial next February, according to Collins. He isn't specifying the dollar amount they're seeking.