2016Frances Doe v. Woe Nursing Home (2016)
Doe, age 90, suffered from dementia and was impulsive. She required extensive assistance for toilet use. A CNA was providing toileting care and took Doe to the bathroom in her wheelchair and assisted her onto the commode. The CNA left Doe on the commode and went several feet away to retrieve a washcloth, turning her back on Doe. Doe had very poor safety awareness and stood up and fell from the commode hitting the floor and fracturing her hip which had to be surgically repaired. Thereafter, Doe was completely bed bound and developed three Stage IV pressure ulcers on her sacrum and buttocks, which were extremely painful. She died from a combination of the hip fracture and bed sores. The case settled through mediation just before the trial date for $600,000.00.