Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Spring River Christian Village

 A Wildwood woman whose mother died from complications following a fall has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Spring River Christian Village.

In the petition, attorneys for Donna Houpt say that inadequate staffing and improper care were responsible for the death of Houpt's mother Carolyn Houpt on October 9, 2023.

The petition, submitted by attorney Jonathan Steele, Kansas City alleges Spring River Christian Village failed Carolyn Houpt in the following ways:

a. Failing to monitor and adequately supervise Resident to prevent them from falling; 

b. Failing to implement a Care Plan which adequately addressed Resident’s risk of falling and implement the appropriate interventions to address Resident’s risk of falling; 

c. Failing to monitor and evaluate Resident’s Care Plan to ensure interventions to address Resident’s risk of falling were working appropriately; 

d. Failing to implement the appropriate fall risk precautions to prevent Resident from falling; 

e. Failing to ensure Resident was free from neglect; 

f. Failing to ensure the Facility had the adequate staffing, equipment, and other medical resources necessary to meet patients like Resident’s needs with respect to preventing falls; 

g. Failing to implement the appropriate policies and procedures at the Facility for evaluating and assessing the risk of falling in patients like Resident; 

h. Failing to implement the appropriate policies and procedures at the Facility for monitoring patients at risk of falling like Resident;  

i.Failing to implement the appropriate policies and procedures at the Facility to ensure the appropriate fall risk precautions were in place for patients like Resident; 

 j. Failing to implement the appropriate policies and procedures at the Facility to ensure the appropriate fall risk precautions were in place for patients like Resident; Failing to implement the appropriate policies and procedures at the Facility to ensure the Facility had the adequate staffing, equipment, and other medical resources necessary to meet patients like Resident’s needs with respect to preventing falls; 

k. Failing to adequately train or educate the Facility staff regarding safely transferring patients like Resident, including the use of appropriate equipment and other medical resources necessary to meet patients like Resident’s needs with respect to preventing falls; 

l. Failing to oversee and monitor the Facility staff to ensure Resident was safely transferred and to ensure the appropriate equipment and other medical resources necessary to meet patients like Resident’s needs with respect to preventing falls were being used; and 

m. Failing to adequately assess, monitor, document, treat, and respond to Resident’s physical condition as well as Resident’s skin condition; 

n. Failing to timely, consistently, and properly monitor, assess, and document Resident’s physical condition; 

o. Failing to provide adequate nursing staff to ensure Resident’s 24-hour protective oversight and supervision;

p. Failing to ensure the nursing home was properly capitalized. 

q. Failing to perform and measure up to the requisite standards of care required and observed by health care providers and further particulars presently unknown to Plaintiff(s), but which is verily believed and alleged will be disclosed upon proper discovery procedures during this litigation.

Houpt is asking for a jury trial.