Drugged Nursing Home Resident Dies After Fall
Seventy-four year-old Lloyd Berkley moved into Pekin Living and Rehab Center in Pekin, Illinois in July 2005. Two days after his admission, he was dead.
Berkley suffered from diabetes and used an oxygen tank. While nothing in his records indicated any psychotic tendencies, Berkley was held down by three employees while a fourth injected him with a large dose of Haldol, an antipsychotic drug. He had only been at the facility for eight hours.
According to nursing notes, after his daughter left the facility, Berkley became "very angry and combative" and said he was "going to blow up the facility with his oxygen tank". A nurse's aide told state investigators that Berkley didn't want to be at the facility and tried to strike staff members.
Staff members took away Berkley's oxygen tank and an unlicensed nurse, Karissa Bent, instructed three nurse's aides to hold him down while she injected him with Haldol, for which there was no doctor's order. Berkley fell asleep and his pulse dropped to a mere 48. He woke up approximately six hours later and while unsupervised, he fell and struck his head on a fan. He died two days later of bleeding in the brain.
Berkley's death was ruled a homicide by a Tazwell County cororner's inquest and the facility was fined $55,000 by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Karissa Bent was fired.
Karissa Bent was granted her nursing license three months after the incident by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation after agreeing to a written reprimand, the lowest penalty available, and no further sanctions were sought.
Berkley's family settled a lawsuit against the nursing home prior to trial for $380,000. The facility has since been purchased by Petersen Health Care and its name changed to Timbercreek Rehab and Health Care.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
