Buser
The son of a recently deceased woman has filed suit against the nursing home where she was living when she died after falling from bed and sustaining a fractured hip and pelvis.
Mark Flieger claims his mother, Opal M. Flieger, was living at defendant Rosewood Care Center of Alton when she fell after getting out of her bed in an attempt to use the bathroom on Dec. 26, 2010. At about 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2010, staff at Rosewood found Opal Flieger lying on the floor with a bruised forehead and an injury to her left hip and pelvis, according to the complaint filed Sept. 5 in Madison County Circuit Court.
Later, Opal Flieger was diagnosed with a fractured left pelvis, the suit states. She was taken to Alton Memorial Hospital on Dec. 30, 2010, where she was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to indwelling Foley catheter, a urinary tract infection, leukocytosis, hypertension and toxic metabolic encephalopathy, the complaint says.
She was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 7, 2011, and readmitted to Rosewood Care Center of Alton. Yet again, she was re-admitted to Alton Memorial Hospital on Jan. 16, 2011, for low blood sugar, but was returned to Rosewood the same day, the complaint states.
During her stay at Rosewood, Opal Flieger developed a blood infection from her bodily waste, according to the complaint.
On Jan. 27, 2011, Opal Flieger was found unresponsive with a weak pulse at Rosewood, the suit states. She was taken to Alton Memorial Hospital, where she died, the complaint says.
Before her death, Opal Flieger suffered disability and disfigurement, experienced pain and suffering and incurred medical costs, Mark Flieger claims.
Rosewood negligently failed to care for Opal Flieger in a way that promoted her quality of life, violated resident care policies by failing to provide necessary care, failed to employ sufficient staff to provide adequate services and failed to assist Opal Flieger with safe transfer activities, among other negligent acts, according to the complaint.
In his five-count complaint, Mark Flieger is seeking a judgment of more than $150,000, plus attorney's fees and costs.
Stephen C. Buser of the Law Office of Stephen C. Buser in Columbia and William P. Gavin of Gavin Law Firm in Belleville will be representing him.
Madison County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-1426.