Repeated unsupervised falls lead to lawsuit
The Madison Record had an article about a lawsuit against a nursing home that allowed a disabled elderly woman to fall and fracture both her hips. Hazel Timmons, guardian of River Reed, filed a suit against Stearns Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on May 21 in Madison County Circuit Court. Reed lived in the Granite City nursing home from May 25, 2007, through July 7.
When Reed was admitted to the nursing home, employees were aware she suffered from Alzheimer's and dementia and was usually disoriented and confused. Nevertheless, employees allowed Reed to wander unattended in the hallway during the middle of the night on May 29, 2007. During her unsupervised walk, Reed predictably fell and fractured her left hip. Yet again, on June 6, Reed was left unattended in a wheelchair and without a personal alarm. And, again, she injured herself when she fell out of the wheelchair.
Reed fractured her right hip after she was left unattended in her wheelchair with her tab alarm in the off position on June 15, 2007. During this incident, Reed attempted to walk unassisted when she was known to be non-weight bearing and at high risk for falling.
