A Pittsburgh woman is suing a Squirrel Hill rehabilitation center alleging that her husband died after being found hypothermic earlier this year when the heat in his room was not working properly.
Tina Williams of the Hill District filed the wrongful death suit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on behalf of her husband, George Agie, against Squirrel Hill Wellness and Rehabilitation Center on Wightman Street.
Agie died in March at age 78.
A message left with the facility was not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Anthony Giannetti, the attorney representing Williams, declined comment.
“The complaint speaks for itself,” he said.
According to the lawsuit, Agie was at Squirrel Hill Wellness and Rehabilitation Center several times beginning in November. He had several chronic medical conditions, including end-stage renal disease, heart failure and seizure disorder.
After being discharged from UPMC Mercy, Agie returned to the facility on Jan. 24.
By Jan. 28, the lawsuit said, the heating system in his room was not working properly, and Agie’s brother reported his concerns about the cold room to the staff.
While the staff provided additional blankets, the lawsuit said, they did not move him or fix the problem.
Overnight, temperatures in Pittsburgh fell into the single digits, the complaint continued. According to the National Weather Service, the low temperature was 4 degrees overnight, while the high that day was 15.
“Defendant should have known that merely supplying blankets did not eliminate the danger presented by a nonfunctioning heating system, particularly for a resident with Mr. Agie’s age, immobility, malnutrition, muscle wasting and extensive medical conditions,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit asserts the staff did not recognize Agie’s condition that morning, and by the time an ambulance arrived at 6:14 a.m., his core body temperature was 82.2, “constituting profound and life-threatening hypothermia.”
Average body temperature is 98.6 degrees but can range from 97 to 99 or more, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The staff, the lawsuit said, attributed Agie’s condition to possible sepsis instead of recognizing his “deteriorating clinical condition was consistent with prolonged exposure to dangerously cold temperatures.”
An ambulance took Agie to UPMC Mercy, where doctors confirmed “profound hypothermia,” the lawsuit said.
Agie’s treatment included active rewarming, warming blankets, IV fluids, broad-spectrum antibiotics and oxygen, the complaint continued.
He remained hospitalized through Feb. 16, the lawsuit said, and continued to deteriorate.
He was ultimately discharged to receive hospice care at home, where he died on March 24.
According to the lawsuit, a complaint was made with Allegheny County Department of Human Services, which “substantiated caregiver neglect.”
The department also referred the matter to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
Messages left with the department and the DA’s office on Tuesday morning were not immediately returned.
The lawsuit includes claims for negligence and wrongful death and seeks punitive damages.
According to federal court records, Squirrel Hill Wellness and Rehabilitation Center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 21.
In its petition, it said it had as many as 200 creditors, assets between $100,000 and $500,000, and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million.