Texas Nursing Home Neglects Resident, Causes Death
Wyvonne Fuqua suffered from dementia. She was placed in the Heritage Western Hills Nursing Home in Fort Worth, Texas. She stayed there for just two years. Although her family visited her frequently, the dementia she suffered caused Wyvonne never to complain about the treatment she was receiving or the pain she was in. When she was finally transferred to another facility, it became clear that she had become severely dehydrated and malnourished at Heritage Western Hills. Even worse, she also had 16 bedsores covering her body that revealed fatty tissue and rotting skin that in some cases went all the way to the bone. She died within two months of her removal from Heritage Western Hills. Her family would later find out that the nursing home had been cited twice by the Texas Department of Human Services before for neglecting Wyvonne. (The nursing home had failed to inform the family as required by law). When Ms. Fuqua’s family took the nursing home to court, the jury was so outraged by the games the nursing home played, they awarded $10 million in punitive damages over and above what the family had asked for in the complaint. The total verdict was for $312.8 million.
South Carolina attorney Michael Jeffcoat concentrates his elder law practice in cases involving nursing home residents in these situations:
(1) infections,
(2) pressure sores / bed sores / decubitus ulcers,
(3) falls,
(4) broken bones,
(5) head injuries,
(6) sexual abuse,
(7) malnutrition,
(8) dehydration,
(9) false charting,
(10) medication errors,
(11) elopement (wandering off),
(12) unexplained bruising and cuts,
(13) medical neglect,
(14) malnutrition / dehydration / sudden weight loss,
(15) fraudulent billing, and
(16) wrongful, sudden, or unexplained death.
Our work helps ensure that nursing home residents are safe, by fighting to protect your loved one’s health, rights, and dignity. To talk to Michael Jeffcoat about your loved one, call 1-800-827-7898.
