EDWARDSVILLE - The estate of deceased Madison County resident Carrie Lee Panyik is suing Beverly Farm Foundation (BFF) for medical negligence, which allegedly led to her death.
According to the official court filing, BFF is the licensed operator of a long-term care facility in Godfrey that provides support to developmentally disabled individuals. The defendant has an onsite medical clinic advertised as being located at the center of their community and as housing their 24/7 nursing staff and physicians.
At age seven, Panyik was diagnosed with glioblastoma and received chemotherapy and radiation, which damaged her pituitary gland. Whenever she experienced an event such as vomiting, diarrhea, and/or lethargy, she required a 0.5ml injection of Dexamethasone and to be transferred to a hospital for observation. On Dec. 10, 2015, Panyik was admitted to BFF for 24/7 care, at which point the defendant took responsibility for the management and care of her medications and basic needs. The BFF staff allegedly had full knowledge that Panyik needed a Dexamethasone injection every time she experienced one of the aforementioned events.
On Feb. 15, 2022, BFF staff noted that Panyik was lethargic and wanted to lay in bed all day, later adding that she was losing weight and having a poor appetite. On Feb. 26, 2022, Panyik's family visited her. They noted that she wasn't very responsive and was hanging over her wheelchair.
Panyik's sister, Kellie Remano, was notified of Panyik's worsening health and told BFF staff to give her the Dexamethasone injection. However, the staff allegedly refused to give Panyik the injection and told Romano that Panyik needed to go to the hospital instead. Once she arrived at St. Anthony's Hospital by ambulance, Panyik was found to be in septic shock. The hospital staff allegedly learned that she had had a five-day history of illness with increased lethargy, generalized ill health, anorexia, and a few small emesis volumes. Panyik remained in the hospital from the day of her admission until March 14, 2022, when she died.
Panyik's estate, now headed by Romano, alleges that BFF failed in its duty to provide Panyik with adequate care and services. They allegedly failed to administer the proper medication after seeing signs of worsening health and failed to immediately notify her physician of the changes in her condition during the five days prior to her transfer to the hospital.
The estate is suing BFF on three counts - medical malpractice, wrongful death, and survival action - and is seeking financial compensation greater than or equal to $50,000, plus legal fees for each count.