California Nursing Home Faces Lawsuit in Alleged Wrongful Death
Windsor Chico Creek Care and Rehabilitation Center in Chico, California faces a wrongful death lawsuit in the death of resident, Geraldine Pavcik. Mrs. Pavcik, 74, entered the facility for rehabilitation after a back injury on June 17, 2009. She was a fall risk, so her physician ordered bed-rail restraints, a lowered bed, an alarm system, and close monitoring. The lawsuit alleges that Mrs. Pavcik was left unattended and without bed-rail restraints and bed alarms on multiple occasions. On July 3, 2009, she fell from her bed and fractured her left hip at 7:00 a.m. The hip was x-rayed at the facility at 2:45 p.m., but she was not transferred to an acute care center until after 9:00 p.m.
Mrs. Pavcik underwent surgery on the fractured hip, but reportedly the operation affected her mental condition and she was no longer able to eat or drink effectively. She developed aspiration pneumonia and died from respiratory failure due to the pneumonia on July 30, 2009.
The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home administration failed to hire enough staff to ensure Mrs. Pavcik's safety, that her physician's orders were not followed, that she was not timely transferred to an acute care facility, and that the facility failed to notify her physician of her decline in condition before her death.
Windsor Chico Creek Care and Rehabilitation is owned by Helios Healthcare, L.L.C., who is a co-defendant in the case.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us at 1 (888) 317-2525 or visit us at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
