(WBAP/KLIF) — The family of the late Eddie Bernice Johnson is threatening a lawsuit against Baylor, Scott, and White Health System.
The former congresswoman was recovering from back surgery at Baylor, Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in September of 2023, when her son Kirk says his mother called him because she was buzzing nurses for help and no one was answering. After arriving at the facility, Kirk found her lying in her own feces with no nursing staff to be found. Three days later, the family says that the 89-year-old developed an infection in her surgical incision. After returning home to recover, Johnson eventually died on New Year’s Eve.
Family attorney Les Weisbrod says laboratory reports leave no doubt that the infection that killed the former Congresswoman was caused by the negligence of medical staff. The last time Kirk Johnson talked to his mother was Christmas Day, when she told him she believed she would only live for three more weeks. She died six days later. The hardest thing for Johnson’s son is knowing that she didn’t have to die.
Johnson says his mother was left unattended by nurses and developed an infection after being left in her own feces for nearly an hour. He says he was told by facility staff that all nurses were in a training session.
According to Weisbrod, the health care system’s attorneys have indicated they would like to work towards a resolution.
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