Veterans nursing home sued in former lawmaker’s death
The family of a former Nevada legislator and longtime optometrist Robert Robinson, who died less than three weeks after being left outside in extreme heat by staff at the Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder City, on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the facility, the administrator and other unnamed defendants.
The lawsuit was filed in U. S. District Court in Las Vegas by attorneys Gerald Gillock and John Funk with Gerald I. Gillock & Associates.
“This is a civil rights wrongful death/survival action arising from defendants’ deliberate indifference and negligence resulting in the wrongful death of Dr. Robert Robinson,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit alleges malpractice and gross negligence. It also claims that the acts that ultimately led to Robinson’s death are a violation of nursing standards of care and several federal regulations governing nursing home, among other violations.
The 89-year-old man suffered second-degree burns on his legs and other parts of his body while sitting in his wheelchair wearing only shorts during the height of summer. The cause of death on Robinson’s death certificate included “sepsis, cellulitis, cutaneous burns and prolonged environmental heath exposure.”
The facility is being investigated by the Nevada attorney general’s office.
Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @yeseniaamaro.
