Wrongful Death Suit against Pittsburgh Area Nursing Home Goes to U.S. District Court

A wrongful death lawsuit against Friendship Ridge Nursing Home in Beaver County, PA and six individuals has been tranferred to U.S. District Court because it alleges civil rights violations.

According to an article on TimesOnline.com, a 40-year-old man who was severely mentally disabled was committed to Friendship Ridge because of his need for treatment at an in-patient facility. Although he suffered from sleep apnea and required a CPAP machine, he did not have the machine when he was admitted to the facility and no machine was made available to him.

The night that he was admitted, he was given a prescription meant for another patient. A short time later he was given more prescriptions that were meant for him. The drugs he was given are known to suppress the central nervous system, which compromised his ability to breath, according to the lawsuit.

When the nurses realized he was given the wrong medications, their supervisor told them not to tell anyone and to “keep it on the shift.” The man was found dead the next morning.

The lawsuit, filed by the family of the man, is seeking damages for medical expense, pain, suffering and mental anguish, punitive damages for the conduct of the defendants, and other losses.

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