Alton, Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Verdict Alleging Wrongful Death Goes to Plaintiff
In the second Illinois nursing home negligence against the Rosewood Care Center chain, it took a jury less then two hours to rule in favor of plaintiff Clifford Emons over the wrongful death of Jane Schwartz. Emons sued the Madison County, Illinois nursing home on behalf of Schwartz’s estate.
Court documents indicate that Schwartz broke her hip and wrist when she fell while staying at the Alton assisted living facility. The nursing home negligence trial lasted less than two days after Judge Andy Matoesian struck the defendant’s pleadings on the issue of negligence. The jury took less than two hours to deliberate what to award the plaintiff.
In another nursing home negligence lawsuit against the Rosewood Care Center, this one directed at the chain’s Edwardsville long-term care facility, a jury awarded $150,000 damages to Paul Graves for his deceased father, who fractured his hip while staying at the Illinois nursing home.
According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s August 4 issue, older people who break a hip increase have a 25% chance of dying within five years, while the five-year fatality rate for older people suffering from a spinal fracture is 16%. The study involved more than 7,700 people over age 50.
The study estimates that one out of every six women over age fifty will fracture a hip. Fall-related fractures can also lead to dementia, cognitive impairment, balance problems, impaired vision, and the side effects that can arise from a person having to take different medications.
There are steps that nursing homes can take to prevent fall accidents from happening---especially if a patient is a known risk for falling. Elderly and sick people are prone to serious injuries when they fracture or break a hip or another body part during a fall accident. Health issues can arise that lead to fatalities.
Jury finds for plaintiff in Alton nursing home negligence suit, The Record, September 22, 2009
With a Broken Hip Comes Higher Risk for Dying, Medline Plus, August 4, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Hip Fractures in the Elderly, Cleveland Clinic
