The family of a stroke patient who died in early 2017 is suing nurses at Minneapolis-based Alliance Home Healthcare, claiming the providers failed to take life-saving actions, reports ABC 5 Eyewitness News.
Here are four things to know:
1. The patient, 52-year-old Darsalle Warren, required 24-7 in-home healthcare after suffering a massive stroke in 2016.
2. The lawsuit alleges Alliance nurses failed to intervene or call for help after discovering Ms. Warren's condition was worsening, even though the family asked providers to do everything they could to keep her alive. After Ms. Warren's death, the nurses allegedly "allowed her to lay in the home" for nearly two days without telling anyone, according to the suit.
3. The lawsuit comes after a Minnesota Department of Health investigation found sustained allegations of neglect, as nurses made no attempts to save Ms. Warren's life. Health officials determined Ms. Warren's death may have been prevented if she had been taken to a hospital.
4. Alliance Home Healthcare is no longer in business. Paul Peterson, an attorney representing the business, shared the following statement with ABC 5 Eyewitness News:
"We sympathize with Ms. Warren's family. Her death was tragic, but it did not result from any negligence on the part of the Alliance nurses," the statement read. "They provided reasonable care to this patient, who died from an untreatable illness the nurses did nothing to cause. We plan to defend this case."