ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – A Volusia County nursing home is facing new lawsuits over coronavirus deaths. Six families claim the Ormond Beach facility failed to protect their loved ones from getting infected.
State data showed last spring, nearly a quarter of Volusia County nursing home deaths were at Opis Coquina Center. The center now faces these six lawsuits filed on behalf of their estates.
[TRENDING: 18+ can soon get vaccine in Fla. | That’s not lint: Family finds snake in dryer | So Florida: Gator swims with shark]
The lawsuits from Helen Kastner and Roy Peron’s estates specifically say they were positive for the coronavirus. Their attorney did not respond to calls for comment but they are suing for negligence and wrongful death.
Kastner’s lawsuit states the center’s staff failed to monitor signs of infection and maintain hygiene. It says the center’s negligence caused a delay in care, even after she suffered multiple falls and showed symptoms. She died on Nov. 25, 2020.
Peron died on April 13, 2020. The center filed a motion to dismiss Peron’s case in December 2020 but court documents show the parties reached an agreement to go through the discovery process to get records and more information. Both lawsuits also say Kastner and Peron were completely dependent on the nursing home staff for care and the center breached those fiduciary duties.
The other four of the lawsuits, filed by a Morgan and Morgan attorney, said the person died from an infection but a spokesperson also told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that those four were also positive for coronavirus when they died.
Opis Coquina Center staff also did not respond to calls for comment.