Crestview Health and Rehabilitation Center complaint alleges fall-prevention failures before a surgically unrepairable femur fracture
The complaint alleges that a nursing home admitted a resident in October 2019 knowing he faced a high risk of falls. Staff documented his pressure-injury risk in January 2021 and skin damage in July 2021. In September 2022, he was told the facility was out of his methadone, and nurse notes later recorded it unavailable. On September 28, 2022, nursing staff found him on the floor after a fall. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with a fractured femur that a November 2022 note describes as unable to be surgically repaired.
Overview
This page concerns a public complaint alleging that a Georgia nursing home did not prevent a known fall risk before a resident’s femur fracture.
Chronology
The complaint alleges as follows:
- The resident was admitted to Crestview Health and Rehabilitation Center on October 4, 2019, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, and hypertension.
- Staff assessed him as an appropriate candidate for the facility and recognized he was at high risk for falls.
- On January 6, 2021, he was documented as being at risk for developing pressure injuries.
- Moisture-associated skin damage was documented on July 24, 2021.
- On September 2, 2022, a family member called Crestview Health after he was told it was out of his methadone. An emergency-kit authorization code had to be obtained. Nurse notes on September 26, 2022, again recorded the prescription as unavailable.
- Nursing staff found him on the floor at 4:30 p.m. on September 28, 2022, after a fall. After several hours in writhing pain, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with a fractured femur, bilateral pneumonia, and COPD.
- A November 3, 2022 note documented that the fractured femur could not be surgically repaired. He did not return to Crestview Health after his hospital discharge.
Alleged failures
The complaint alleges the following failures:
- Crestview Health knew he faced a high fall risk but did not institute an appropriate care plan to prevent falls.
- Staff failed to assess, recognize, treat, and document a significant condition.
- The complaint says he was told the facility was out of his methadone on September 2, 2022. Nurse notes recorded it unavailable on September 26.
- The complaint pleads professional, simple, and general negligence; vicarious liability; negligence per se; resident bill-of-rights and statutory claims; breach of contract; and understaffing. It also pleads joint enterprise, negligent hiring and supervision, and punitive damages, and attaches an expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1.