Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Claims “Torture-Like” Punishment of Developmentally Disabled Resident Led to His Wrongful Death
The family of Paul McCann is suing Graywood Foundation for Illinois nursing home abuse and wrongful death. The not-for-profit organization, which runs a number of group homes in the state, has been under investigation for alleged nursing home neglect and abuse. McCann, 42, died last January after nursing home employees Keyun Newble, 25, and Marquis Harmon, 23, allegedly assaulted him. They are charged with first-degree murder.
McCann is the second Graywood assisted living facility resident to die amidst allegations of nursing home abuse over the last three years. Now, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that state officials knew about the alleged abuses as early as two years before McCann’s death.
In a 2009 memo, which the AP obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request, a state investigator called the conditions at the Graywood Foundation homes “totally unacceptable.” The memo was drafted nearly a year after two employees were charged with resident Dustin Higgins’ murder. Yet, according to the McCann family’s Illinois wrongful death lawyer, even after state investigators substantiated 18 allegations of nursing home neglect and abuse, the residents’ relatives were not notified about these problems.
The McCann family claims that Harmon and Newble punched and kicked him for 45 minutes as punishment because he allegedly stole food. McCann’s ribs were broken in 13 places and he died when fluid entered his lungs.
Nursing homes should be held liable for Chicago nursing home negligence if they fail to prevent abuse and neglect incidents from happen and a patient is injured as a result. Unfortunately, Chicago nursing home abuse continues to be a problem at a number of assisted living facilities and it is the residents who end up suffering.
Memo: Ill. knew of group home abuses before death, Chicago Tribune, March 27, 2011
Lawsuit: 'Torture-like' discipline led to death at group home, Daily Herald, February 10, 2011
Man beaten in local home, DenNews, January 27, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes in Illinois
Illinois Department of Public Health
More Blog Posts:
lllinois Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit Filed After Pulmonary Embolism Causes Patient’s Death, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer, March 8, 2011
Illinois Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Death of Woman Who Developed Sepsis, Dehydration, and Hypoxia, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer, February 8, 2011
Chicago Nursing Home Negligence Alleged in Cook County Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Hinsdale Assisted Living Facility, Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, September 3, 2010
