Case Summary

The following case summary is a hospital or nursing negligence case we have personally handled and litigated. It is provided for illustrative and informational purposes only, and is not meant to offer legal advice or take the place of a consultation with a qualified attorney with the requisite expertise and experience in these matters. These cases are only a sampling of the actual cases we have handled. While some cases may be similar, each case involves unique parties and specific facts, and the application of those facts to the controlling law may differ significantly depending upon the circumstances. No results or outcomes can be guaranteed in any case.

Gladys C.

Gladys C., an 81-year-old widow, was admitted to a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, due to complaints of fainting. In addition, she had a stroke several decades earlier that left her unable to use her left arm and left leg, causing her to use a cane to walk. When her family left her alone for the first time to get something to eat, the patient was assisted out of bed and taken to the bathroom door by a nurse’s aide where the aide left her. At the time the aide left her, she had undergone a heart catheterization several hours earlier, she was hooked up to an I.V., and she was on multiple prescription medications including Plavix and Dilantin. In subsequent depositions, other co-workers referred to this aide as “lazy, dishonest, and not someone they would want caring for their loved ones.” This patient was abandoned in the bathroom for approximately 45 minutes, and after repeatedly pulling the call nurse chain, she attempted to stand on her own at which time she fell. When she fell, she suffered multiple fractures to her pelvis. It was later determined that the call nurse button in that bathroom was defective and not working. As a result of her fractured pelvis, the patient had to have a Foley catheter and ultimately suffered sizable medical bills. Although there was an offer of settlement made before the lawsuit was filed, a confidential six-figure settlement was reached a few weeks before the trial was to begin that was approximately six times the pre-suit settlement offer.