Widower sues nursing home for wrongful death

By Daniel Hawn

Published on March 09, 2006

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Carol Wilson who died Jan. 27, 2004 at Beverly Health Care Center. She was admitted to the nursing home in late 2002. The lawsuit, filed in Kanawha Circuit Court, alleges that's Wilson's death was caused by substandard care she received at the facility. Wilson's widower, Edward, filed the lawsuit.

According to the suit, Wilson was dependent on the staff for her personal hygiene and use of the bathroom. However, due to poor care and insufficient infection control measures, Wilson suffered from several urinary tract infections, the suit states.

Court records show that Wilson died from sepsis, a condition that results from a serious infection. The lawsuit accuses the facility of negligence for failing to properly identify and treat Wilson's condition.

Two days before her death, Wilson's temperature rose dramatically, which the staff handled by providing her only with Tylenol, the lawsuit claims. It goes on to state that the nursing home employees failed to adequately oversee Wilson's progress or offer any additional clinical nursing information on her condition for more than a day.

The punitive damages requested in the lawsuit involve charges of statutory violations, negligence, and wrongful death.

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