Apr 24, 2009 8:43 pm US/Central
Nursing Home Sued After Woman Found On Train Track
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
An Orland Park nursing home has been sued for negligence after a resident with dementia was discovered lying on train tracks and suffering from cold exposure eight hours after wandering off during a group field trip to a local high school.
Wayne Marz, the guardian of Margaret McCauley, filed the suit Friday in Cook County Circuit Court against Sunrise Senior Living Services, the Brighton Gardens Assisted Living of Orland Park and the home's Activity Director Debra Ann Adler, following the Dec. 2, 2007 incident that allegedly left a disabled woman with visible injuries.
The suit claims McCauley, a resident of Brighton Gardens — 10651 S. LaGrange Rd in Orland Park — suffered from various psychological and physical conditions, severe dementia and Alzheimer's disease and required full-time supervision by staff.
Adler, the home's activity director, and an assistant took between seven and 10 residents, including McCauley, to a concert at Lincolnway Central High School, on Dec. 2, the suit said.
After arriving at the high school, McCauley wandered away unnoticed and was found approximately eight hours later just one mile away from the high school, lying on train tracks with visible injuries she had suffered from falling down and from being exposed to cold temperatures for an extended amount of time, the suit said.
The suit alleges Adler and the nursing home failed to properly monitor McCauley; failed to assess her risk of wandering off; failed to provide an adequate number of staff for residents and failed to ensure her safety, the suit said.
The center also failed to take proper steps to ensure McCauley's safe return after discovering she was missing, the suit said.
The two-count negligence suit — against the nursing home and individually against Adler — seeks more than $50,000 in damages.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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