PITTSBURGH — A mother and her minor child are suing Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, citing alleged breach of duty and gross negligence.
E.S., through his mother Laurie Rook, filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, alleging that the hospital breached its duty to provide the proper care to patients in accordance with their needs and condition.
According to the complaint, E.S. was admitted to the defendant's hospital on March 7, 2017 because of increasing aggression towards his mother and increasing anxiety. Although the hospital allegedly knew that E.S. has difficulty communicating, Rook said he was put into a shared room with a roommate known to have violent tendencies.
As a result, Rook said she was informed that her son had been attacked by his roommate, causing him to be traumatized by the incident, and that he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming.
The plaintiffs said the defendant allegedly committed gross negligence by placing a patient with significant communications problems in a room with someone with known violent tendencies, causing physical and psychological damage.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees, costs of the suit and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. They are represented by Jennifer Price of The Law Office of Jennifer O. Price in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.