Family of Eddie Bernice Johnson to sue hospital for medical negligence
DALLAS - The family of former congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson plans to sue Baylor Scott & White Health, claiming negligent care at the hospital's rehabilitation center led to her death.
Johnson, also known as EBJ, was a trailblazing politician who represented the Dallas area for decades.
She died on Sunday at 89 years old.
Johnson's son, Kirk Johnson, says his mother was a patient at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation after she underwent back surgery last September.
When he went to visit her there on Sept. 21st, 2023, Kirk says he was shocked to find Johnson "lying in her own feces and urine."
According to Kirk, Johnson had been pushing the call button and begging for help for an extended period of time, but no one had responded.
Kirk couldn't find any nurses on the floor to help either, so he says he went to an administrator's office to find the person in charge. The CEO of the facility followed Kirk to his mother's room. By the time they got there, there were nurses and staff cleaning up the feces.
Kirk says the CEO told him, "This shouldn't have happened."
The family believes the incident caused Johnson's surgical incision to become infected a few days later. They say lab reports done on the wound at the hospital came back showing organisms directly related to feces.
"The laboratory reports leave no doubt that the infection that killed former Congresswoman Johnson was caused by the failure of the staff at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation to properly care for Mrs. Johnson and allowing her to have laid in her own feces," said attorney Les Weisbrod, named partner of Miller Weisbrod Olesky LLP, who sent a mandatory pre-suit notice letter Thursday to Baylor Scott & White Health System and Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation on behalf of the family.
The point of the notice is to give the parties involved a 60-day period to attempt to resolve the claim before a lawsuit can be filed.
After the infected wound had to be surgically repaired, Johnson was moved to a skilled nursing facility in October and then to her home in hospice care in December, according to her family.
When asked about these claims, Baylor Scott & White Health sent CBS News Texas this statement: Congresswoman Johnson was a longtime friend and champion in the communities we serve—she is an inspiration to all. We are committed to working directly with the Congresswoman's family members and their counsel. Out of respect for patient privacy, we must limit our comments.
