Charleston care facility sued after woman dies from fire ant attacks

fire ant attack elderly care negligence wrongful death lawsuit South Carolina dementia care

Shelba Catterton, an 83-year-old woman suffering from advanced dementia, has died following a swarm of fire ant attacks in Charleston, South Carolina. According to a lawsuit filed by her family, Catterton left the Harmony at West Ashley care facility unsupervised on July 23 after an employee allegedly left a door open.

During the incident, Catterton was reportedly covered by fire ants and sustained more than 1,000 stings across her face, head, back, arms, legs, and chest. Due to her medical condition, she was unable to call for help and was not discovered for several hours.

Upon being found, she was transported to Bon Secours Roper St. Francis hospital. Medical professionals treated her for the stings, as well as hypothermia and pneumonia. After eight days of treatment with antibiotics and steroids, she passed away on August 7. Her family is pursuing legal action against the facility for negligence, wrongful death, and violations of state regulations regarding elder care.

Entities

Bon Secours Roper St. Francis · Charleston · Harmony at West Ashley · Jan Buice · Shelba Catterton

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] Catterton's family filed a lawsuit against the Harmony at West Ashley facility for negligence and wrongful death. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] Doctors at Bon Secours Roper St. Francis diagnosed Catterton with hypothermia and pneumonia. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] Shelba Catterton died on August 7 after spending eight days in the hospital. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] The fire ants inflicted more than 1,000 stings on her body. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] An employee left the doors of the Harmony at West Ashley facility open, allowing Catterton to exit unnoticed. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] Shelba Catterton was attacked by a swarm of fire ants after leaving a care facility unsupervised. n1info.hr · www.oslobodjenje.ba · www.vijesti.ba

Sources

Vatreni mravi izgrizli ženu više od 1000 puta, preminula je [n1info.hr]

18 days ago

Napad roja mrava bio koban za 83-godišnjakinju, imala je više od 1. 000 uboda [www.oslobodjenje.ba]

18 days ago

Stravična smrt: Ženu izgrizli vatreni mravi više od 1. 000 puta [www.vijesti.ba]

18 days ago