Elder Law

Boy Dies from Neglect by Mother and Nurses

By Levin & Perconti

On May 15 a 13-year-old Illinois boy died at University of Chicago Hospital after being brought there with very severe signs of neglect including ulcers, one of which was seeping pus, a black crusted patch on his tongue, and hair, skin, and nails that were flaking and dirty. His mother and two nurses were charged with his home care, where over an extended period his condition slowly deteriorated. Despite finding him when she started her shift lying in his own feces and urine, one of the nurses, Morris Lee Brinkley, failed to make a call to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which could have saved the boy?s life. The other nurse, Loren Brown, knew that the boy?s mother was not taking him to doctor?s appointments, yet she did not call the Department of Children and Family Services either. Although both nurses claim to have notified their supervisor, she claims to have had no knowledge about the boy?s condition. The boy?s mother is far from without fault, however, as she had missed at least five medical appointments last year, had left him at a hospital once past his discharge date, and admitted to not bathing him in more than a year. The boy?s death has been ruled a homicide, and his mother and the two nurses have been charged with felony neglect and failure to report a neglected child. This boy's neglect is similar to nursing home abuse and neglect deaths where extreme neglect leads to severe injuries and even death.

Read more here.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on June 02, 2008 (boomark / email).