Polk awards $2.1 million to man who developed bed sore at Auburndale nursing home

Rebecca Lee, The Ledger
·2 min read

BARTOW — A Polk County jury awarded $2,118,000 to a 70-year-old man who developed a serious pressure sore while in the care of an Auburndale nursing home.

The jury decided on April 28 that Sidney Gilmore, who was represented by Morgan & Morgan attorneys Brian Thompson and Al Ferrara, would be granted the money for his suffering and the medical bills that stemmed from the pressure sore. The sore emerged during what was intended to be a short-term rehabilitative stay starting in January 2020 at the Oak Haven Rehab and Nursing Center, 919 Old Winter Haven Road. Gilmore's case was heard by Judge William D. Sites.

Morgan & Morgan said Gilmore developed a Stage IV sacral pressure ulcer that was so deep it infected his bone. His attorneys said Oak Haven neglected to rotate and clean him on a regular basis. A news release said he was forced to have six surgeries to remove the infected tissue and bone, and also had to have a colostomy as a result of the sore.

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“Mr. Gilmore required frequent and involved care that Oak Haven did not adequately provide,” Thompson said in a prepared statement. "While we routinely see horrifying cases in Florida nursing homes, this one is particularly tragic. Mr. Gilmore was born with a mental disability and faced the cruel injustices of needless pain, suffering and permanent injury through no fault of his own.”

Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, form from lack of movement, which is common for nursing home patients. The sores develop because blood circulation to the body's soft tissues is cut off. Morgan & Morgan's Communications Coordinator Alex Storer said in the release that the ulcer he developed in the nursing home's care took two years to close.

According to the release, Gilmore was born with Fragile X Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects brain development, causing him to have the mental capacity similar to a 4-year-old child.

The Ledger attempted to talk with Oak Haven Rehab and Nursing Center, which did not provide a comment on the case.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk jury says Auburndale nursing home neglected man, awards $2.1M