Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Facing Lawsuit After Patient Death

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect - August 30, 2023

Nursing Home Identified As Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Facing Lawsuit After Patient Fell and Died

Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Facing Lawsuit After Patient Death

EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS (August 30, 2023) – The family of a patient at Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center has filed a wrongful death claim after a woman died.

The lawsuit is currently in the Madison County Circuit Court. Plaintiffs allege that the victim was assessed as being at high risk for potential falls.

Despite this assessment, nursing home staff later discovered that the woman fell inside of her room and hit her head. She was transferred to the hospital and diagnosed with a head injury.

Despite life-saving measures, she died on July 21, 2021. In the lawsuit, her estate cites negligence and violations under the Illinois Nursing Home Act.

Liability For Madison County Nursing Home Deaths

Abuse within nursing homes is far more common than many people would suspect. According to one report by the World Health Organization, “Rates of abuse of older people are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.” One of the most common forms of abuse within nursing homes is neglect. There are a number of ways that a nursing home patient may be neglected.

  • Nursing home staff may have failed to give residents their medications.
  • Nursing home staff may have failed to regularly move immobile patients thereby causing them to develop bedsores.
  • Nursing home staff may have failed to aid patients at heightened risk of falling.

There are a number of federal and state laws that protect people within nursing homes. According to the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, a nursing home resident has the right to be free from abuse or neglect. The owner of a nursing home could be liable if their employee abuses or neglects a resident.  Nursing homes have a legal duty to implement fall preventative care plans to protect residents from falls. There are, for example, proper and improper ways to help someone get in and out of a wheelchair or bed. Several steps should be taken after any nursing home accident.

  • Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
  • Medical records should be preserved.
  • Surveillance footage should be sought.
  • A thorough investigation should be conducted.

People can become increasingly frail and vulnerable to abuse as they age. It can be hard to know where to begin after any nursing home injury. However, it is important that residents of nursing homes and their families understand that they do have rights. The family of any person that died in a nursing home may be able to seek some measure of justice through a wrongful death claim.

Investigating Madison County Nursing Home Deaths

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to all of the people who may have been harmed by staying at the Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken to make these locations as safe as possible. Abuse and neglect within nursing homes can be so harmful and destructive.

Have you or someone that you care about been injured at the Godfrey Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center? There are a number of laws designed to protect your rights. Our team of personal injury attorneys are here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that nursing home residents are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.