ST. LOUIS — A woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court alleging that systemic understaffing, inadequate wound care and corporate cost-cutting at a St. Louis County nursing facility led to her mother’s catastrophic injuries, sepsis and eventual death.
Asia Caldwell, the surviving daughter of Leandra Young-Wilson, filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Redman Rd Healthcare, Redman Rd Consulting and Vertical Health Services.
The suit alleges the companies operated as a joint venture and are collectively responsible for negligence that resulted in Young-Wilson’s death on Aug. 11, 2024.
According to the complaint, Young-Wilson was admitted on Jan. 30, 2024, to Atrium Place Health and Rehabilitation, operated by Redman Rd Healthcare, with three Stage 1 pressure ulcers.
At the time, she weighed approximately 84 pounds and was described as bedbound, quadriplegic due to hereditary cerebellar ataxia, and completely dependent on staff for repositioning, hygiene, feeding and other daily activities.
She also had Type 2 diabetes and severe malnutrition.
The lawsuit alleges that despite her high risk for skin breakdown, the facility failed to implement an individualized care plan to prevent wound deterioration. While an early February assessment confirmed the presence of pressure ulcers, the complaint states that staff did not initiate individualized turning logs, per-shift skin checks or wound care tracking documentation.
On Feb. 25, 2024, a nursing note documented what the lawsuit describes as the only recorded attempt to reposition Young-Wilson during her approximately 98-day stay.
The note stated she declined turning due to pain. The complaint alleges staff failed to address her pain barrier, did not offer pre-medication before repositioning, and made no further documented repositioning attempts. The same note reportedly acknowledged that her wounds had deteriorated.
By late February, the complaint states her coccyx wound had expanded significantly and showed signs of infection. Although pain medication was ordered, the suit alleges no protocol was implemented to administer it before repositioning or wound care.
The complaint further alleges that in early March 2024, facility documentation contained contradictions, including coding that indicated no wounds present despite documentation of active Stage 3 pressure ulcers. It also claims the facility billed for a turning program while no systematic turning was documented.
On March 5, 2024, a wound assessment reportedly revealed that her coccyx wound had progressed to a Stage 4 ulcer with exposed bone. The complaint states the wound had expanded dramatically in size over roughly 34 days and that this progression was avoidable with proper care.
Young-Wilson was hospitalized on March 6, 2024, after her condition deteriorated en route to an MRI.
Emergency responders reportedly found her with low oxygen saturation, rapid heart rate, and hypotension. She was admitted to the hospital with diagnoses including sepsis, Stage 4 sacral pressure ulcer, osteomyelitis, severe protein-calorie malnutrition, and acute respiratory failure.
The complaint states physicians documented no history of long-term antibiotic treatment for osteomyelitis before hospitalization.
Hospital records cited in the lawsuit indicate imaging confirmed bone destruction associated with untreated pressure ulcers.
After receiving IV antibiotics and wound care in the hospital, she was discharged back to the facility with a wound vacuum device and orders for a six-week course of IV antibiotics.
The complaint alleges that additional facility-acquired pressure ulcers developed in April and May 2024 while she remained under the defendants’ care.
By May 13, 2024, when she was transferred to another facility, she had four active pressure ulcers, including two that the complaint describes as having deteriorated from Stage 1 to Stage 4 with osteomyelitis.
Young-Wilson died Aug. 11, 2024, approximately six months after her admission. The lawsuit alleges an unbroken chain of causation between the facility’s care failures and her death, stating that the untreated wounds led to sepsis, chronic infection and systemic decline that substantially contributed to and hastened her death.
In addition to allegations of direct negligence, the complaint asserts that the corporate defendants exercised control over staffing budgets, nursing policies, hiring decisions, census targets and financial operations.
The complaint notes the companies intentionally reduced labor expenses while increasing resident census, resulting in inadequate staffing levels and undercapitalization that compromised resident care.
Caldwell seeks damages in excess of $75,000 for non-economic losses, including pain and suffering, loss of companionship and bereavement. She is represented by Jonathan Steele of Steele Law Firm II.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri case number: 4:26-cv-00202
