HOUSTON — A former nurses aid at a rehab hospital in Houston claims she suffered back injuries while trying to transfer a 200 pound patient.
Genevieve Lesley Clark filed a complaint July 23 in Harris County District Court against Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital The Vintage LLC alleging negligence.
According to her complaint, Clark was working as a nurses aid at the defendant's facility located on Chasewood Park Drive in Houston on Aug. 18, 2019. She alleges that one of the patients she was assigned to weighed about 200 pounds and while trying to transfer him from his bed to a wheelchair, he suddenly slipped and fell backwards as she was tightly holding onto his gait belt.
Clark claims that the patient's body weight jolted her forward and caused her to suffer injury to her back and aggravated a pre-existing condition. She further claims that she properly placed the gait belt around the patient's abdominal area and placed the required socks furnished by the defendant on the patient's feet, however the socks failed to grip and presented a slipping hazard. Clark alleges the defendant's negligence for failing to provide supervision, reasonable "tools and instrumentalities" or safety regulations.
Clark seeks monetary relief between $200,000 and $1million, interest and all otehr just relief. She is represented by Cynthia Huerta of Schechter, Shaffer & Harris LLP in Houston.
Harris County District Court case number 2021-44695