Lawsuit Filed in W.V. Hospital Patient Death
A relative of a woman who died after falling from her bed in a West Virginia hospital has sued the hospital operators, accusing them of being negligent, careless, and contributing to their loved one’s death.
Mary E. Hornick died in May 2008 at age 83, a few months after she had suffered a fall from her bed at Thomas Memorial Hospital. Hornick had been admitted to the hospital emergency room on Dec. 8, 2007 and later transferred to the intensive-care unit, according to a report in the West Virginia Record.
A day or two after she was admitted to the hospital, Hornick fell from her bed and suffered cuts, bruises, and a head injury, according to the lawsuit filed by Richard W. Hornick, the executor of the woman’s estate.
The fall either worsened the cerebrovascular condition that got Hornick admitted to the hospital in the first place or resulted in new injuries that later caused her death at a skilled nursing home where she was transferred from Thomas Memorial, the lawsuit states.
Hospital Broke Own Rules, Suit Alleges
Hornick’s death certificate listed her cause of death as dementia with cerebrovascular accident listed as a secondary cause. The manner of Hornick’s death was ruled natural by her attending physician, Dr. Amy Lee Wirts, the Record reports.
Richard Hornick’s lawsuit claims hospital staff failed to properly monitor Mary Hornick, even though they knew she was at increased risk of falls due to her cerebrovascular condition. The hospital’s own rules for patients who are deemed at increased risk of fall meant she should have been kept under around-the-clock visual observation while in the ICU, but that was not done, Hornick’s lawsuit states.
Mary Hornick suffered pain and suffering that slowed her recuperation and other damages as a result of the hospital’s negligence, Richard Hornick’s suit claims. Richard Hornick also claims he has suffered “aggravation, annoyance [and] inconvenience” which has forced him to him incur more than $40,000 in additional medical expenses for Mary’s care, according to his lawsuit.
Richard Hornick’s suit seeks unspecified damages, the Record reports.
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