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Grace Woods Senior Living Sued for Wrongful Death
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The law firm of Anzellotti, Sperling, Pazol & Small has filed a wrongful death suit against Grace Woods Senior Living on behalf of the estate of Eva Gorosics, who died of hypothermia April 9, 2012, after wandering away from her room at the Niles assisted living facility.
In announcing the litigation, the law firm cited findings by Ohio Department of Health. Gorosics, who was 84 years old and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, left the facility and was found dead in the parking lot at approximately 6:40 a.m. that day, according to the ODH report.
Defendants in the lawsuit include Grace Woods and Andrea D. Clarke, the caregiver on duty when Gorosics wandered away from her room. The lawsuit alleges that Gorosics died as a result of their conduct. The Trumbull County Coroner’s office concluded hypothermia was the cause of death.
An investigation conducted by ODH found that at the time of the incident, Clarke, the only caregiver on duty, was responsible for watching over all 33 of the facility’s residents. ODH determined this level of staffing was inadequate to meet the needs of all the residents, the law firm states. ODH also found that the alarm system designed to notify staff if a resident attempted to leave the facility was not working properly. According to ODH, these deficiencies created a “real and present danger” that jeopardized residents’ lives.
“Grace Woods must be held responsible for allowing these dangerous conditions to exist,” said attorney Adam Sperling.
Added attorney Ilan Wexler, a partner at Anzellotti, Sperling, Pazol & Small, “Senior citizens represent one of the most vulnerable segments of our community. When a family entrusts the well-being of a parent or other relative to a long-term care facility, they expect the facility to provide a safe environment where their loved one will be taken care of and protected."
The case, filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, has been assigned to Judge Ronald J. Rice.
SOURCE: Anzellotti, Sperling, Pazol & Small.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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