Minnesota Nursing Home Faces Lawsuit Over 2006 Resident Death
Grand Village nursing home in Grand Rapids, Michigan is the focus of a wrongful death lawsuit involving resident Rudella Reiners.
In 2006, Ms. Reiners was a known fall risk. Suffering from dementia and advanced osteoporosis and with a history of falling, the nursing home took many precautions for her safety, using a bed alarm, motion sensor, sound monitor, and a perimeter mattress. Staff kept a light on at night for her and even moved her to a room where she could be observed more easily. Somehow, she still managed to get up and walk. In fact, alarms were going off and no one heard when Ms. Reiners moved her trash can into the hall and fell, breaking her right hip.
Reportedly, the night of Ms. Reiners fall, the facility only had two nurse aides and one nurse to care for 48 residents in that unit. One of the aides had been sent to another part of the building to cover staff breaks and the other two employees were helping a resident in a different wing. No one was around to hear Ms. Reiners screams and the alarms sounding.
Steven Reiners, Rudella Reiners' son, went to the nursing home facility that night to talk to facility staff about what happened. It took more than ten minutes for him to find anyone.
Meanwhile, surgeons tried to repair the 89 year-old woman's hip, but she never recovered. She stopped responding and eating and died five days after her fall. The ensuing state investigation found that Grand Village was neglectful. An investigator determined that two alarms could not be heard at the nurse's station or other wings of the unit.
Steven Reiners has filed a lawsuit against the facility and wants nursing homes to be held accountable for their actions. "Someday I'll probably be in that same rest home," he said.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home wrongful death. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
