A woman who went to a North Carolina nursing home to recover from surgery is suing the home claiming she suffered permanently disabling injuries due to negligence during her stay.
Estamae Johnson claims she was scheduled to stay at Carol Woods nursing home for one week while she recovered from a hip replacement surgery. Instead, three separate incidents at the center have severely injured her, afflicting her with severe pain, and rendering her unable to perform daily functions.
The “plaintiff is understandably distraught over the fact that she had a successful hip replacement surgery and was expected to completely recover. However, she has turned out to be disabled and in pain for the rest of her life,” the suit said.
Johnson seeks compensation “in excess of $10,000” (in North Carolina Superior Courts, this phrase is used to describe damages well above $10,000 and often does not accurately reflect damages sought), claiming medical malpractice, and negligence. She also seeks punitive damages citing wanton and willful harmful acts by the staff.
Johnson was admitted to Carol Woods on April 13, 2004 when her doctor said she should go to the home for short-term rehabilitation. The doctor told her she should be helped when moving from her bed to the bathroom.
According to the suit, on April 16, she went to the bathroom by herself, falling and hurting her elbow. She was sent to the UNC emergency room where she received treatment for a rotator cuff injury, and an arm sling before returning to Carol Woods, the suit says.
Johnson sounded the call bell to ask for help moving to the bathroom the next day, and according to the suit, the nursing assistant pulled on her undergarment hard enough to cause her to fall. “Incredibly the nursing assistant immediately left the room, leaving the plaintiff on the cold, hard, bathroom floor screaming in agony,” according to the suit.
Johnson hit her head on the sink, and suffered a serious leg injury. She was sent back to the ER. The fall dislocated her hip once more. Johnson endured severe pain as the doctors tried to put the bone back in its place to no avail. At last, she was forced to undergo surgery to correct it, the suit says.
Two weeks after the surgery, Johnson received a brace to be worn for six weeks, and was sent back to Carol Woods.
According to the suit, when the six weeks were up, a therapist employed by Carol Woods “began to push on her hip three times extremely roughly and with significant force.” After screaming multiple times for the therapist to stop, Johnson “felt her hip being ripped out of its socket,” the suit claims.
Johnson underwent a third surgery to repair the dislocated hip. She was told to wear the brace for six weeks again, the suit says.
“The cruel acts by the nurses, physical therapists and other employees at Carol Woods have caused irreparable damage to the plaintiff and profoundly altered the course of her life,” the suit says.
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