CINCINNATI, Ohio – A family from Ohio has taken legal action against a nursing home in Cincinnati, alleging negligence and wrongful death in the case of Dolores Niederhelman. The family claims that Niederhelman passed away after being attacked by another resident at the facility.
The lawsuit, filed by the law firm representing the family, asserts that Niederhelman sustained two broken shoulders during the alleged attack by another resident at the nursing home. It is alleged that the facility did not promptly send her to the hospital after the incident, leading to a decline in her health until she fell into a coma and eventually passed away shortly after being transferred to the hospital.
Video footage from the facility’s surveillance camera, located in Niederhelman’s room, reportedly captured the physical assault. The lawsuit also mentions that the nursing home staff did not adequately examine Niederhelman after the attack or inform her family members about the incident.
Three Rivers Healthcare Center, part of the Communicare Family of Companies and one of Ohio’s largest nursing home chains, is the target of the lawsuit. Niederhelman, who had a history of various health conditions, became a resident at the nursing home in March 2021 and was placed in a secured unit in September of that year due to vulnerability and cognitive impairment.
On January 26, 2023, another resident allegedly attacked Niederhelman in her room, as recorded by the facility’s monitoring system. The lawsuit claims that the nursing staff failed to adequately respond to the situation, including delaying contact with Niederhelman’s family and providing substandard medical treatment.
Following the attack, Niederhelman was hospitalized and diagnosed with fractured shoulders. Complications from the fractures and subsequent infections led to her passing on January 30, 2023. The lawsuit alleges negligence, wrongful death, and violations of nursing home resident rights laws, pointing to chronic understaffing and systemic care failures at the facility.
Attorney Michael Hill, representing Niederhelman’s family, expressed deep commitment to seeking justice for the family and holding the nursing home accountable for its actions. Hill emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable individuals in such facilities and pledged to pursue accountability to prevent similar incidents in the future.