Failure to provide proper care, especially medical treatment, to nursing home residents can lead to tragic consequences. A Belleville elderly care facility’s neglect led to the death of one of its residents almost two years ago, according to a wrongful death lawsuit recently filed by her family.
The special administrator for the resident’s estate filed the lawsuit in the St. Clair County’s circuit court. The facility is part of larger Oak Park elderly care provider.
The plaintiff charged two acts of negligence. The facility’s staff did not properly secure a tracheostomy tube and failed to correctly set a low-pressure alarm point.
This alarm sounds when a patient is disconnected from a ventilator, according to the suit. A tracheostomy tube allows a substitute method of breathing and is inserted in the patient’s neck and windpipe.
The facility’s employees did not apply the knowledge and utilize the skill and care that is customarily shown by health care professionals, according to the lawsuit. The facility’s alleged negligence directly caused the resident’s death in Oct. 2017 which caused grief, sorrow and permanent injury and damage to her surviving relatives.
The estate also claimed that the resident’s death deprived her family of the reasonable value of many aspects of her life if she lived such as her services, love, comfort, instruction, training and support.
This lawsuit was filed under Illinois’ wrongful death laws and seeks a judgment over $50,000 and court costs.
Families of residents who suffer a nursing home death may be entitled to compensation and damages. An attorney can assist families with pursuing this right and assuring that negligent parties are held accountable.
