A harrowing lawsuit has been filed against a nursing home and its management company, alleging severe negligence leading to the death of an elderly resident. The complaint was filed by Tammy L. Dorenkamp, Executrix of the Estate of Sandra L. Lincoln, on July 23, 2024, in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, against Sunnyview Operating, LLC t/d/b/a Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Premier Healthcare Management, LLC.
The case centers around the tragic death of Sandra L. Lincoln on April 17, 2023. According to the complaint, Lincoln was an 82-year-old woman who had been admitted to Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for rehabilitation following surgery for a hip fracture. Despite her initial health complications related to cancer and diabetes, her family trusted that she would receive safe and compassionate care at Sunnyview. However, the lawsuit alleges that this trust was grossly misplaced due to a series of negligent actions by the facility's staff and management.
The plaintiff claims that Sunnyview hired Heather Pressdee as a Unit Manager despite her troubling employment history at ten different nursing homes within less than five years. The complaint asserts that Pressdee had been investigated for abusive behavior towards patients at each previous facility but was still employed by Sunnyview without proper vetting. It is alleged that between January 21 and March 25, 2023, four residents under Pressdee’s care died under suspicious circumstances involving symptoms such as foaming at the mouth—a potential sign of insulin-induced hypoglycemia.
One particularly damning allegation states that on April 17, 2023—the day Lincoln died—Pressdee unnecessarily injected her with insulin and then air into her PICC line, causing immediate respiratory failure and death within minutes. The lawsuit also details how Pressdee allegedly expressed a desire for residents to die in conversations with other staff members.
Dorenkamp's complaint accuses both Sunnyview Operating and Premier Healthcare Management of multiple counts of negligence including failing to properly screen Pressdee before hiring her, ignoring red flags about her past conduct, not investigating suspicious deaths promptly or thoroughly enough, and failing to enforce adequate policies for monitoring medication administration.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages exceeding $50,000 for pain and suffering endured by Lincoln before her death as well as punitive damages for what they describe as wanton misconduct by the defendants. They argue that these entities had non-delegable duties to ensure safe conditions and competent healthcare personnel but failed egregiously in these responsibilities.
Representing Tammy L. Dorenkamp is attorney Gregory R. Unatin from Lupetin & Unatin LLC. The case will be presided over in the Civil Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.