Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Lawsuit alleges wrongful death

Two area physicians and two area health care facilities have been named in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Split Rail, located at 1658 Highway 371, and employees at that facility are at the heart of the suit which also lists South West Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center, Charles A. Vermont, M.D., and Paul Drew Meredith, M.D. as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, Randolph Jefferson was 41 and a resident at Split Rail at the time of his death on March 2005. The lawsuit was filed in March and contains a flurry of motions from all parties.

According to the suit filed on behalf of Jeffersons family, the man suffered schizophrenia and mental retardation and was dependent on the staff of Split Rail for around the clock medical, nursing and mental health care.

According to the information on file at the Nevada County Circuit Clerks Office, Jefferson complained of feeling ill on March 23 and staff reported that he was visibly short of breath on March 24. On March 25, Jefferson was lethargic, had difficulty breathing and a weak pulse, according to the records. Jefferson was even exhibiting a jerky-like motion. According to the lawsuit, those observations were part of the nursing staff records.

After Jefferson reached this point, he was reportedly taken to the Medical Park Hospital at Hope. The lawsuit alleges that the staff at Split Rail and Meredith as the emergency room doctor who saw Jefferson upon his arrival at the hospital failed to properly assess and diagnose. The lawsuit indicates that Vermont, as the primary care professional, also failed to perform treatment that would have saved Jeffersons life.

It wasnt until the shift change when Jefferson was turned over to the care of another physician that the necessary steps were taken, the lawsuit alleges. The information indicates that the next doctor in charge of Jeffersons case had Jefferson moved to a larger hospital but Jefferson died April 4, 2005.

The lawsuit alleges that Split Rail is negligent by their continuing failure to provide sufficient numbers of staff to maintain fundamental care needs, and by their failure to keep adequately trained staff on site. The lawsuit indicates that the health care facilities and the physicians failed to assess Jeffersons condition and needs.

It also indicates that the caregivers failed to notify Jeffersons family in a timely matter following his illness.

An answer filed on behalf of Vermont denies any wrongdoing and requests that the lawsuit be dropped. Similar answers have been filed on behalf of the other defendants.

There are requests from the complainant and all defendants for a jury trial.