Granite City Nursing and Rehabilitation named in suit

A Granite City nursing home is accused of allowing a patient to fall multiple times, causing injuries his family says led to his untimely death.

Meredith L. Bonner, as personal representative and executor of the estate of Carl L. Boner Sr., filed the wrongful death complaint Jan. 3 in Madison County Circuit Court against Granite Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC.

Meredith Bonner says Carl Bonner Sr. became a patient at the Granite Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in January 2010. She says the staff knew the patient had a brain injury that caused him to fall. Because of his injury, she says the staff also knew Bonner was likely to fall again without proper supervision and assistance.

Despite the information provided to them, the Granite Nursing Home staff allegedly failed to properly care for Bonner Sr. and, instead, allowed him to "suffer a large number of falls" while in their care.

According to the complaint, Bonner Sr. received multiple injuries while at the nursing home including blunt force trauma to his head which led to swelling and bleeding in his brain.

Bonner says Bonner Sr. eventually suffered a severe head injury that required hospitalization and was transferred to Gateway Regional Medical Center on July 26, 2010. He stayed there until his death on Aug. 4, according to the complaint.

Bonner says it was negligence and carelessness shown by Granite Nursing Home that ultimately led to Bonner Sr.'s death. She says the facility failed to adequately watch and help the patient in order to prevent him from falling. She says the nursing home also failed to notice and treat injuries in a timely manner and failed to take any steps to ensure Bonner Sr. would not fall again.

Bonner accuses the Granite City care facility of wrongful death, negligence and violations of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. She is asking to be awarded more than $100,000 in damages.

Attorney Lawrence J. Hess of The Rex Carr Firm in East St. Louis is representing her. They request a jury trial.

Madison County Circuit Court Case No. 12-L-20