A Chicago woman recently filed a lawsuit against Lexington Health Care Center in Orland Park for injuries her male relative received while residing at the nursing home. She alleges that the man’s fatal injuries resulted from a fall that took place while the man resided at the facility. She also claims that his death could have been avoided had the nursing home’s staff provided the man with proper care.
The plaintiff is listed as being the special administrator of the deceased’s estate. She filed the lawsuit with the Cook County Circuit Court clerk on May 23, 2017.
In her complaint, she details how the staff of the nursing home failed to provide adequate supervision over the man during his residency at the assisted living facility. She argues that the man would not have died from his injuries that resulted from a fall had he not been left unattended at the time the incident occurred.
She suggests that the facility had previously conducted a risk assessment on the man and determined he posed a significant fall risk. Despite this, she alleges that the staff failed to watch the man to ensure that he did not have an opportunity to fall.
The lawsuit does not specify the man’s age nor does it go into great detail about the man’s medical history as it relates to his propensity to fall. The plaintiff is asking for a judgment against the defendant in excess of $50,000.
With the patient to caregiver ratio that exists in hospitals and nursing homes, it’s not all that uncommon that incidents such as this occur. If your loved one has either been severely injured or died as a result of some type of hospital or nursing home negligence, an attorney can help you learn more about your rights as it relates to filing a claim.
Source: Cook County Record, “Woman sues Lexington of Orland Park for negligence related to former resident’s fall,” Louie Torres, June 20, 2017