A bereaved and aggrieved stepdaughter, Tina Meskill, on behalf of her family, sued a Chicago, Illinois-based long-term facility, Bridgeview Nursing Home, for the death of her stepfather, James Zbonksi, 84. On Wednesday, June 3rd, the plaintiff’s attorney filed a 52-page wrongful death and negligence lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court.

In the court documents, Meskill, who is the administrator of the victim’s estate, accused the home care facility of reckless and gross negligent conduct contrary to the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. The lawsuit alleges that Bridgeview failed to implement the necessary guidelines for the control of COVID-19.

The guideline instructed all nursing homes to close their doors to outsiders from March 13th. That same month, the plaintiff’s stepfather became symptomatic. On March 29th, Meskill received a call about the victim’s deteriorating health, and the caller said he was on his way to Advocate Christ Medical Center for an evaluation.

Zbonski tested positive for the virus, and on April 6th, the man passed away at the hospital. The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as acute respiratory failure and pneumonia resulting from COVID-19 infection.

The lawsuit also claimed that the nursing home has a history of flaunting state health guidelines and failing inspections. It alleged that Bridgeview placed profit over the health of the residents and staff by intentionally misallocating resources and understaffing the facility. Meskill and her family are demanding through their attorney that the court grant them a jury trial and damages over $50 000.  

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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