Colorado Springs Injury Attorneys - Levine Law LLC - Nursing Home Verdict

Rob: To other news now, a Pueblo jury hit a local nursing home with a $3.7 million judgment for negligence resulting in the death of one its patients back in 2011. News 5 Zach Thaxton has been following this story throughout the day. He joins us now with more, Zach?

Zach: Rob, prosecutors argued that management and staff at Belmont Lodge Health Care Center failed to properly care for 88-year-old Janet Smith after she entered that facility in April of 2011. Tonight we hear from Janet's daughter who says justice has been served.

Daughter: She went there for rehab and she left on her deathbed.

Zach: 88-year-old Janet Smith was lucid but frail. Osteoporosis has weakened her bones and in April 2011 she broke both of her ankles in separate incidents. She entered Belmont Lodge Health Care Center to get back on her feet. Instead, prosecutors say, she ended up flat on her back never to rise again.

Jordan: It's not really what's in those records, it's what's not in those records.

Zach: Since Janet couldn't walk a catheter was inserted to allow her to relieve herself. Denver based attorney, Jordan Levine, convinced a jury that Belmont Lodge nurses and staff failed to maintain or check the catheter leading to a severe urinary tract infection.

Jordan: The rules are that you're supposed to empty the bag, clean the area, and monitor for signs of infections. There was no monitoring whatsoever.

Zach: In a matter of just two days Janet went from clear and communicative to unconscious and unresponsive. She was sent to Park View unbeknownst to her daughter.

Daughter: I walked in and a resident shouted to a nurse, "Oh God, the daughter's here". When you hear that you automatically think, what's going on?

Zach: By the time her daughter got to the hospital it was already too late.

Daughter: She looked at me and she said, "I want to die". After finding out that she had a urinary tract infection that had gone septic, which meant it was in her blood, it wasn't something that was just going to clear up. I made the decision to honor her wishes and let her go.

Jordan: There are gaps of like 19 hours, 22 hours, and 12 hours of no record of any CNA going in the room.

Zach: Blank forms and falsified records convinced the jury to punish Belmont Lodge to the tune of $3.5 million. Janet's daughter will get 200 grand for what she endured.

Daughter: I think that now I can probably start the proper grieving process and move on with my life.

Zach: Janet Smith, by the way, served as a nurse in World War II and the Korean War. She is now at rest with her husband at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. We tried contacting the attorneys for Belmont Lodge Health Care Center; they did not return our calls. Reporting live tonight Zach Thaxton News 5.