Benjamin Martin's estate filed suit against two St. Clair County nursing homes claiming that their care led to the resident's demise.
Eliza Placide, the special administrator of Martin's estate, names Greenwood Terrace Nursing in Swansea and River Bluff of Cahokia in the suit she filed March 16 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
Placide claims that Martin sustained a life-threatening decubitus ulcer on his right heel while a resident of Greenwood Terrace, which resulted in an above the knee amputation on March 11, 2004.
She also claims that on March 16, 2004, Martin incurred a systemic bacterial infection which contributed to a marked deterioration of his already compromised physical condition.
According to the complaint, Greenwood Terrace failed to notify and consult with Martin's treating physician and next of kin regarding his deterioration, failed to care for him in a manner which maintained and enhanced his quality of life, failed to prevent and treat his decubitus ulcers and subsequent infection and failed to provide him with the necessary care to maintain his highest well being.
In Placide's complaint against River Bluffs, she claims that Martin either developed septicemia while a resident there or he developed it at Greenwood Terrace. In either case River Bluffs failed to diagnose and treat the infection causing his death on Oct. 2, 2004.
Placide claims that Martin's estate is entitled to damages under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, the Illinois Survival Statute and the Illinois Wrongful Death Act. She is seeking damages in excess of $200,000 plus all costs of the suit.
06 L 181 (20th Circuit)
Two nursing homes named in one wrongful death suit
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