An estate administrator is seeking restitution from Belhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the alleged wrongful death of a family member.
Christopher Burns, independent administrator of the estate of Leah Burns, deceased, filed suit on Sept. 9 in Cook County Circuit Court, Law Division against Belhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC and The Renaissance at South Shore Inc., a respondent in discovery.
According to the complaint, Burns represents the deceased Leah Burns, a resident of the Bellhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at the time of her death, where the the center was in charge of maintaining the late Burns and her health. As such, Bellhaven should have known to be aware of certain bony prominences on her body and the possibility of the development of skin breakdown in November 2013.
The plaintiff thus charges the defendant with negligence, allowing pressure ulcers to develop and progress, improper and inadequate personal and medical care, failure to provide the proper level of medical and personal care to maintain her well-being, failure to turn and reposition her in bed, failure to assess her skin's integrity, failure to follow the care plan for pressure ulcer prevention and pressure ulcer care, failure to manage her nutritional and hydration needs, failure to preform appropriate Foley catheter care, failure to identify signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection, and other failure of an adequate level of medical and personal care.
As a direct result of this negligence, the plaintiff asserts that injuries and symptoms were allowed to develop that led to sepsis, infection and the unnecessary pain and suffering of the late Burns, as well as unnecessary medical costs required to treat said developments, and ultimately, a wrongful death on June 30, 2014.
The plaintiff seeks judgment in the amount excess of $50,000, as well as attorney's fees and court costs.
The plaintiff is represented by David J. Pribyl of Dudley & Lake LLC of Libertyville.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015-L-009241.