A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a nursing home and its management, alleging severe negligence leading to the death of an elderly resident. Kathryn Ann Pivak, as Administratrix for the Estate of Gerald R. Shrum, Sr., filed the complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on August 9, 2024, naming Sunnyview Operating LLC d/b/a Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and several associated entities and individuals as defendants.
The case revolves around the alleged mistreatment and eventual death of Gerald R. Shrum, Sr., who was a resident at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center from October 13, 2022, until his death on March 25, 2023. According to the complaint, Shrum suffered multiple falls, inadequate care for his daily needs including hydration and nutrition, improper administration of medication, and ultimately fatal insulin administration by nurse Heather Pressdee. The plaintiff asserts that these incidents were a direct result of systemic understaffing and mismanagement by the facility's operators.
The complaint details numerous instances where Shrum was neglected or improperly cared for. For example, on November 30, 2022, Shrum’s family reported a large bruise of unknown origin on his left flank among other signs of neglect such as being found in soiled diapers with no water available in his room. Despite being aware that Shrum was a high fall risk due to his medical history including Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, he experienced at least eleven documented falls during his stay at Sunnyview.
In one particularly harrowing incident on March 24-25, 2023, nurse Heather Pressdee allegedly administered excess insulin to Shrum causing hypoglycemic shock. Despite finding him unresponsive with dangerously low blood sugar levels early on March 25th, no immediate medical intervention or physician notification occurred until after his death later that morning. Further investigation revealed that Pressdee had admitted to administering excessive insulin doses intending to cause harm.
The lawsuit accuses Sunnyview Operating LLC along with Premier Healthcare Management LLC and individual defendants Jonathan Bleier (a majority owner), Tricia Kradel (Nursing Home Administrator), and Heidi Coyle (Director of Nursing) of gross negligence in hiring practices and failure to provide adequate staffing levels despite numerous warnings from Department of Health surveys highlighting deficiencies in care standards.
Plaintiff Kathryn Ann Pivak seeks compensatory damages for pain and suffering endured by her father before his death as well as punitive damages against all defendants for their reckless disregard for resident safety. The legal representation for the plaintiff is provided by attorneys Shanin Specter and Lorraine H. Donnelly from Kline & Specter P.C.
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