On Monday, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Riverton Memorial Hospital LLC in the District of Wyoming. The plaintiffs, heirs of a patient who was killed in the hospital, allege that the defendant’s actions resulted in the death of their mother through negligent planning and supervision.
According to the plaintiff, “It had been known for more than a year that SageWest Healthcare…had grossly insufficient supervision and monitoring of its psychiatric patients. In spite of repeated complaints, Riverton Memorial Hospital, LLC (and its officers, directors, and employees) failed to spend the money required to assure patients’ safety.”
The suit stems from an incident at the hospital on Thanksgiving 2020. The victim was assigned to a room within the Emergency Department. At the same time, a psychiatric patient was being held in a room across the hall.
The psychiatric patient, said to be a very large and burly man, was insufficiently restrained, insufficiently monitored, and insufficiently supervised according to the plaintiffs. Because of the lack of supervision given to the patient, he was able to leave his room and assault and seriously injure the victim, who later succumbed to her injuries.
The plaintiffs say that the defendant is liable for punitive and exemplary damages as a consequence of its reckless, willful, wanton, and misconduct. The hospital purportedly failed in their duties of reasonable care to their patients by failing to maintain a facility that fostered a safe environment for all patients.
The plaintiffs are represented by Robert P Schuster.
