A recent court filing has brought to light a tragic case of alleged medical negligence that resulted in the death of an elderly patient. The complaint, filed by Robyn Tinsley on June 7, 2024, in Harris County District Court, accuses Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Pasadena and its parent company, Oceans Healthcare, L.L.C., of gross negligence and substandard care leading to the wrongful death of her father, Richard Donald Tinsley.
According to the petition, Richard Donald Tinsley was admitted to Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Pasadena on December 30, 2022. He was an 84-year-old man suffering from dementia, agitation, aggression, confusion, and difficulty with redirection. Due to his condition, he was at high risk for falls and required assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and ambulation. Despite these known risks, the hospital allegedly failed to provide adequate care and interventions to prevent him from falling.
On January 5, 2023, Mr. Tinsley experienced a witnessed fall from his wheelchair. The following day he was found unresponsive and without a pulse. He was subsequently transferred to another hospital where he was diagnosed with sepsis due to severe dehydration and an acute traumatic displaced subcapital fracture of the left hip. Unable to undergo surgery because of his multiple severe medical issues, Mr. Tinsley passed away on January 9, 2023.
The plaintiff asserts that Oceans Behavioral Hospital's negligence directly led to Mr. Tinsley's fall and subsequent death. The complaint details several failures on the part of the hospital: inadequate monitoring and assessment of Mr. Tinsley's condition; failure to implement reasonable fall prevention measures; insufficient provision of fluids and nutrition; lack of proper treatment post-fall; and overall substandard medical care.
Robyn Tinsley is seeking both compensatory and exemplary damages for the pain and suffering endured by her father as well as for her own emotional distress caused by his untimely death. She is asking for pecuniary loss compensation including loss of companionship and society, mental anguish damages, exemplary damages for gross negligence under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §41.001 et al., as well as funeral expenses.
The legal team representing Robyn Tinsley includes Andrew J. Skemp (State Bar No. 24075082) and Joy Barriente (State Bar No. 24118615) from Janicek Law Firm PC based in San Antonio, Texas. The case has been assigned Case ID: 2024-36218 in Harris County's 127th Judicial District Court.