Injury at treatment facility spurs medical malpractice claim

The son of a woman who allegedly fell and injured herself while being cared for at a treatment facility has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the business.

Philadelphia attorneys Stewart J. Eisenberg and Brian C. Hall, of the firm Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck, P.C., filed the civil claim June 14 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Philadelphia resident Calvin Jackson, who holds power of attorney for his mother, Bessie Jackson.

Named as defendants in the suit are Simpson House, Inc. and Simpson House Foundation.

According to the complaint, Bessie Jackson was taken to Simpson House, located at 2101 Belmont Avenue in Philadelphia, in early November 2010 for rehabilitative services after she developed trouble walking.

The defendants determined that it was unsafe for Jackson to walk unassisted, so they placed her on a bed alarm, the suit states.

A couple days after being admitted to Simpson House, Jackson got out of her bed unsupervised, and although her bed alarm went off, staff failed to respond in a timely manner, and Jackson was found lying on the floor of her bathroom, the lawsuit states. She had fallen and struck her head.

As a result of her accident, Jackson suffered a fracture of her cervical spine and a central cord syndrome with resulting diminished function in both of her arms and both of her legs, according to the complaint.

The plaintiff accuses the defendants of carelessness and negligence for failing to properly attend to Jackson’s bed alarm and for failing to protect Jackson from her risk of fall.

The lawsuit alleges that Bessie Jackson has suffered from pain, anxiety, depression and a loss of life’s pleasures. She has also been forced to spend money on medical attention.

The plaintiff, as power of attorney for Bessie Jackson, demands judgment from the defendants in an amount in excess of $50,000 in compensatory damages and related costs.

The plaintiff has demanded a jury trial. The case awaits listing.

The case number is 110600955.