Family sues operator over death of resident who fell at Winnipeg care home

ManitobaThe family of a woman who suffered broken ribs and other injuries from a fall at a personal care home in Winnipeg is suing the care home operators, claiming the family wasn’t notified about the fall for days, and the care home failed to address the injuries.Woman was assessed as having increased risk of falling, lawsuit saysVera-Lynn Kubinec · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 5:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoA 92-year-old resident of Extendicare Charleswood personal care home was moved to Extendicare Maples the day after she suffered a fall and was injured in August 2023, a lawsuit says. She died a few days after that. (Vera-Lynn Kubinec/CBC)The family of a woman who suffered broken ribs and other injuries from a fall at a personal care home in Winnipeg, and died nearly a week later, is suing the care home operators, claiming the family wasn’t notified about the fall for several days and the care home failed to address the injuries.Hazel King, 92, was living at the Extendicare Charleswood personal care home on Roblin Boulevard and was assessed as having an increased risk of falling. On Aug. 23, 2023, she fell and suffered various injuries, including severe abrasions and four fractured ribs, says a lawsuit filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench last month by her son, Bruce King, on behalf of the family.After the fall, the care home “took no steps to address the injuries,” the lawsuit alleges, and didn’t refer her to a qualified professional for assessment.The family was not notified by Extendicare Charleswood about the fall or the injuries, the lawsuit says.The next day, Hazel King was moved to a different care home, Extendicare Maples on Mandalay Drive, without the care home first doing an assessment of her health and well-being, the claim alleges.After she moved to the Maples care home, she was given a preliminary assessment. Staff there learned about the fall and discovered the injuries. Following a full assessment, staff determined King was in critical condition, the court document says, and three days later, she was transferred to the Grace Hospital. It was around that time that the family was first notified that King had suffered a fall and injuries.She died on Aug. 29, 2023, five days after being relocated from the Charleswood Extendicare home to the Maples home.She had suffered pain from the injuries until the time of her death, the lawsuit says.It alleges the fall and injuries caused her death. At the time of her death, she was also suffering a bacterial infection, the lawsuit says.Breach of duties: lawsuitThe statement of claim, filed by Bruce King on Aug. 22, on behalf of his mother’s estate, family members and himself, seeks an unspecified amount of damages. Among them, the plaintiff claims “damages for loss of guidance, care and companionship as provided for under the Fatal Accidents Act,” the lawsuit says.The suit names several companies, including Extendicare Canada, that are collectively identified as owners, operators, or managers of the two care homes.The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is also named as a defendant, identified as providing funding to the Charleswood and Maples care homes and having responsibility for ensuring the homes comply with regulations for care homes.The lawsuit says that based on King’s age, and her physical and mental condition, she was completely dependent upon the care homes to monitor her health and communicate that information to her family.It alleges the care home defendants breached their duties by “failing to properly develop and implement a care plan for Ms. King that met her needs, ensured her safety and well-being, and adequately mitigated the known risk of falling.” A stock photo shows a senior holding a cane. The lawsuit says that based on Hazel King’s age, and her physical and mental condition, she was completely dependent upon the care homes to monitor her health and communicate that information to her family. (Ground Picture/Shutterstock)The care homes also failed to treat her injuries in a timely manner, failed to properly monitor her health, and failed to assess her condition before relocating her from the Charleswood home to the Maples one, the claim says. It also alleges there was a failure to adequately communicate with her family regarding her status and condition.The allegations have not been tested in court and the defendants have not filed statements of defence.When contacted by CBC News, Bruce King’s lawyer Jordan Kreml declined to comment on behalf of his client.CBC contacted Extendicare about the lawsuit but did not receive a response before publication.The WRHA is alleged to have breached its duties by not doing adequate inspections or assessments of care plans at the two care homes.The claim says the WRHA failed to provide proper guidelines for personal care homes “to respond to falls and injuries of residents.”Bobbi-Jo Stanley, a spokesperson for the WRHA, said the health authority declined to comment while the matter is before the court. ABOUT THE AUTHORVera-Lynn Kubinec is a producer with CBC Manitoba’s I-Team investigative unit, based in Winnipeg. vera-lynn.kubinec@cbc.ca