A Louisiana state court jury has awarded $1 million to the daughter of a nursing home resident who died from infected bedsores during his 26-day stay at the facility.
After a five-day trial the 12-member jury found that the facility's staff neglected 84-year-old Leon Nelms, causing his November 2004 death.
Brown Development Inc. and D. Brown Enterprises Inc. own and operate the Olive Branch Senior Care nursing home in Tallulah, La.
Nelms' daughter, Everline King, sued the companies in the Madison Parish 6th Judicial District Court.
According to the lawsuit, Nelms was admitted to the facility in October 2004. King said her father had no significant injuries or complications from his declining health at the time. He did have a small, early-stage bedsore on his left hip, but there was no evidence of infection, she said.
The sore worsened, become infected, and Nelms developed another infected bedsore on his right hip during his short stay at Olive Branch. He also suffered dehydration, malnutrition and significant weight loss, dropping 16 pounds in one week, the suit said.
The left-hip infection allegedly became contaminated from Nelms' feces and spread into his bone, according to the suit. He was taken to a hospital Nov. 16, 2004, and died six days later from the infections.
The suit alleged medical malpractice and ordinary negligence. King sought wrongful-death damages on her own behalf and survival damages of behalf of her father's estate for his alleged pain, suffering and loss of dignity.
The defendants maintained that Nelms received good care during his stay at the facility. They said the left-hip bedsore was already infected and his health already was declining when he entered the home.
After a trial the jury awarded King $500,000 in wrongful-death damages and $250,000 in survival damages for Nelms' pain and suffering. Jurors tacked on another $250,000 for the facility's failure to clean Nelms' bodily waste.
King's lawyer, Kim Ramsey Norris of Nix, Patterson & Roach in Shreveport, La., said she was proud to represent King, who took her father in and cared for him for more than two years before he had to enter the nursing home.
"It was tragic for her to lose her father the way she did, just one month after he went to Olive Branch," Norris said. "It was a difficult and courageous decision for her to sue the nursing home."
Defense counsel declined to comment on the verdict.
Olive Branch Senior Care Center Reviews
A Louisiana state court jury has awarded $1 million to the daughter of a nursing home resident who died from infected bedsores during his 26-day stay at the facility.
After a five-day trial the 12-member jury found that the facility's staff neglected 84-year-old Leon Nelms, causing his November 2004 death.
Brown Development Inc. and D. Brown Enterprises Inc. own and operate the Olive Branch Senior Care nursing home in Tallulah, La.
Nelms' daughter, Everline King, sued the companies in the Madison Parish 6th Judicial District Court.
According to the lawsuit, Nelms was admitted to the facility in October 2004. King said her father had no significant injuries or complications from his declining health at the time. He did have a small, early-stage bedsore on his left hip, but there was no evidence of infection, she said.
The sore worsened, become infected, and Nelms developed another infected bedsore on his right hip during his short stay at Olive Branch. He also suffered dehydration, malnutrition and significant weight loss, dropping 16 pounds in one week, the suit said.
The left-hip infection allegedly became contaminated from Nelms' feces and spread into his bone, according to the suit. He was taken to a hospital Nov. 16, 2004, and died six days later from the infections.
The suit alleged medical malpractice and ordinary negligence. King sought wrongful-death damages on her own behalf and survival damages of behalf of her father's estate for his alleged pain, suffering and loss of dignity.
The defendants maintained that Nelms received good care during his stay at the facility. They said the left-hip bedsore was already infected and his health already was declining when he entered the home.
After a trial the jury awarded King $500,000 in wrongful-death damages and $250,000 in survival damages for Nelms' pain and suffering. Jurors tacked on another $250,000 for the facility's failure to clean Nelms' bodily waste.
King's lawyer, Kim Ramsey Norris of Nix, Patterson & Roach in Shreveport, La., said she was proud to represent King, who took her father in and cared for him for more than two years before he had to enter the nursing home.
"It was tragic for her to lose her father the way she did, just one month after he went to Olive Branch," Norris said. "It was a difficult and courageous decision for her to sue the nursing home."
Defense counsel declined to comment on the verdict.