Nursing Home Faces Lawsuit After Resident Falls Down Concrete Stairs in Wheelchair
An Iowa nursing home is facing a lawsuit filed by a resident who fell down a flight of concrete stairs while she was seated in a wheelchair. The plaintiff, of Battle Creek, is suing Odebolt specialty care and its owners, Care Initiatives of West Des Moines, for negligence and breach of contract. According to her lawsuit, on July 2, 2024, the 88-year-old resident was found at the bottom of a set of 13 concrete stairs that led from the kitchen to the basement of the nursing home. Although the kitchen was considered a restricted area from which residents were barred, a staff member allegedly propped open the door, which allowed the plaintiff to wheel herself into the area.
Her lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages. The nursing home has yet to file a response to the lawsuit.
The state inspector’s report details how the plaintiff propelled herself into the kitchen, through two more doors, and then toppled down the stairs leading to the basement. She was ultimately found by a kitchen worker who heard someone yelling for help. The plaintiff was found with lacerations to her forehead and left forearm, and an injury the staff described as a huge gash in her cheek. She was then transported to a hospital where, according to inspectors, the records indicate the plaintiff was admitted with a head wound that required seven stitches to close as well as bruises to her head, hands, legs, hips, both eyes and basically all over her body.
According to her lawsuit, Odebolt Specialty Care was charging the plaintiff $342 per day for its services. The plaintiff had lived at the facility since 2013. As a result of the accident, the state proposed but then held in suspension a $9,000 fine to the facility for its failure to keep its patients safe. Ultimately federal officials imposed a fine of $14,433.
Court records indicate that there are at least 14 other lawsuits that are currently pending against the Odebolt facility’s owners, Care Initiatives. 13 of those cases are wrongful death lawsuits that have been filed against the facility. The other lawsuit stems from an incident involving a male intruder who is found in bed with a female resident at a Care Initiative’s facility.
Each of these lawsuits alleged that Care Initiatives was negligent. Care Initiatives operates nursing homes in Pleasant Hill, Wapello, Albia, Fonda, Corydon, Waterloo, Marshalltown, Avoca, Oskaloosa, Centreville, West Branch, and Corning. Several of these cases have been stayed by the courts, and plaintiffs have been ordered to bring their case before an arbitrator.
Talk to a Springfield IL nursing home negligence attorney today
The Springfield nursing home negligence attorneys at Patel Law, PC represent the interests of patients who have been injured by neglect, abuse, or malpractice. Call our Champaign personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment and we can begin investigating your case immediately.
Source:
telegraphherald.com/news/iowa-illinois-wisconsin/article_8301f476-ef07-11ef-862c-bfe4c212c303.html
