Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Cleveland Nursing Home Injury Attorney: Trust Your Elders

This unbelievable story from the desk of our Cleveland nursing home injury attorney has two heroes. First, the Columbus nursing home resident who took it upon himself to call 911 despite the fact that his nurses didn’t believe him when he said he felt ill. Second, the firefighter who, despite the reluctance of the facility’s staff, decided to send a dispatcher anyway to see what the problem was about. Thanks to their efforts, the nursing home, the fire department, and especially the nursing home residents and their families, “dodged a bullet,” Battalion Chief Steve Martin told the Columbus Dispatch.

The resident, identified only as “Mr. Jackson,” told the 911 dispatcher, “Nobody wants to believe me that I’m not feeling that good.” Mr. Jackson wanted to go to a hospital.

The dispatcher asked to speak to the man’s nurse, who qualified it as “a behavior thing” that “happens all the time.”

But that dispatcher decided to listen to the resident and  send paramedics instead.

“There was nothing that set it apart from any other call,” Firefighter and dispatcher Brian Severs told the Columbus Dispatch. “Something told me, ‘Don’t blow this off; this person called 911 because they thought they needed help.’”

Gut Instinct = Lives Saved

It turned out to be carbon monoxide poisoning. The entire building had a gas leak. “Mr. Jackson” and Severs saved the lives of 143 residents.

Granted, the elderly members of our family are at the sunset of their lives, so it’s understandable when we take what they say with a grain of salt. But learn to trust them and trust your instincts. If you ever have any concerns, contact a nursing home injury attorney in Cleveland. Indeed, our elders just may be trying to tell us something we need to hear.