Olive Mary Davis lived at the Silver Lake Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. As a known fall risk, she required a high level of care, including a bed alarm, verbal cues and raised bed rails.
On the day of this incident, she was found on the floor covered in blood. She suffered a fractured right hip. The fracture required open reduction and internal fixation surgery as well as treatment for her fractured forearm.
Davis died of her injuries within two months and was survived by her daughter.
Elaine Waintrup, 91, was admitted to Rydal Park Nursing Home. She lived there for almost four years. During this time, she suffered multiple falls, sometimes falling more than once in the same day.
The injuries from the falls she suffered included facial and head lacerations and a nasal fracture that necessitated hospitalizations.
In addition, an investigation that was conducted after one of her falls led to an Adult Protective Services determination that Waintrup had been the subject of caregiver negligence.
Mary Ritter was a nursing home resident. She had a history of kidney disease and a left leg amputation. During a transfer at the nursing home, she was dropped to the floor. She suffered a traumatic femur fracture.
She then developed necrotic pressure ulcers, which led to a decline in her condition and ultimately was a cause of her death. She was just 60 years old at the time and was survived by her two adult children.
The Ritter estate and family sued the nursing home and several of its providers alleging nursing home malpractice and wrongful death. After the parties agreed to a confidential settlement, the plaintiffs filed a petition with the Indiana Patient Compensation Fund. Before trial, the parties settled for $205,200.
Ms. Doe was a resident of an assisted living facility. She was an elderly woman who suffered from severe dementia. While residing at this facility, Ms. Doe experienced several falls.
A month after suffering fractures from one of the falls, she passed away. The family brought a lawsuit against the assisted living facility for choosing not to perform timely fall risk assessments of its residents, including Ms. Doe.
The case settled before trial for $250,000.
Ms. Doe, 80, used a wheelchair and resided in a nursing home. While transporting Doe to her doctor’s appointment, a driver for Roe Medical Transport Co. chose not to secure her wheelchair into the van’s locking mechanism. When the driver stopped abruptly, Doe was thrown into the console. She suffered a fractured femur. Doe required an open reduction and internal fixation surgery.
Doe claimed that the transport company’s driver had negligently chosen not to secure the wheelchair. The defense contended that the van’s lessor was liable for its defective locking mechanism.
Before trial, the parties settled this case for $237,500.
Mary Benton, 98, lived at the Agape Senior Assisted Living Facility. She suffered from mild dementia that required assistance with her day-to-day activities.
During her time at the assisted living facility, her condition deteriorated, and she was hospitalized for dehydration, infections and low blood pressure. In addition, she fell on two occasions, the last of which resulted in a broken hip.
Benton was not a candidate for surgery and was later transferred to her friend’s home where she unfortunately passed away. She was survived by her son.
Elaine Jenkins was admitted to the transitional care unit of Vibra Hospital of Charleston. While she was there, she suffered from debilitating injuries, which led to her permanent decline in her health.
Jenkins’s estate sued Vibra Hospital and its administrator, alleging negligence, negligence per se, breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, violation of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act, wrongful death and survivorship.
The Jenkins estate also argued that among other things, the defendants chose not to conduct adequate assessments, respond to changes in Jenkins’s mental status, and also failed to notify her family members after she suffered a number of different incidents at this facility.
Toni Gethers was an elderly woman who suffered from numerous health issues and required assistance with activities of daily living. She was admitted to Hillcrest Center Nursing Facility for a short-term stay.
Over the next five months, she developed a worsening Stage III pressure ulcer, dehydration and acute renal failure among other medical problems.
She also experienced significant weight loss and was hospitalized several times, including once for treatment of pneumonia and osteomyelitis of the sacrum. Her injuries eventually led to her passing. She was survived by her two adult sons.
Viola Sickel had a history of falls. She was admitted to The Bridges at Warwick, a skilled nursing facility. She was then transferred to its secure memory unit. While she was standing at the sink in her bathroom, the aide who had been spotting her left her room suddenly.
Sickel then fell and struck her head, suffering severe injuries that led to her untimely death.
Sickel’s estate sued The Bridges of Warwick nursing home, alleging that it chose not to implement an effective fall prevention strategy. It also was alleged that the nursing home failed to properly supervise Sickel while she was standing at the sink in the bathroom, failed to tell Sickel that the aide was leaving and that she was being left alone.
Ms. Doe, 56, was a nursing home resident who suffered from multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair. When she was loaded onto a medical transport van that was parked on an incline, she was not fully secured to the wheelchair. She slid from the wheelchair and suffered bilateral leg fractures as a result of this fall. The injuries necessitated a cast and bracing.
In addition, she required hospitalization and underwent a blood transfusion and oxygen supplementation. Despite this care and treatment, her condition worsened. She died 17 days after this incident.
The lawsuit alleged wrongful death and failure to secure Ms. Doe into her wheelchair. The defendant argued that Ms. Doe had died of unrelated causes.
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