Easter Seals at Fault For Mentally Ill Man’s Choking Death: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — Easter Seals staff failed to save a mentally ill, developmentally disabled man who choked to death last month, according to claims made in a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

Jamie Cozzi was living at an Easter Seals house on Apple Tree Lane in Plainfield when he choked to death, the lawsuit said.

Cozzi, 22, was “at a high risk for aspiration and choking, and required assistance and monitoring with meals,” the lawsuit said.

On July 16, a “foreign object became lodged in (Cozzi’s) throat during meal time” and he “demonstrated signs and symptoms of respiratory distress,” but “did not receive any medical attention to address his distress,” the lawsuit said.

Cozzi was found unresponsive and died the same day, the suit said.

The lawsuit, which named Easter Seals Joliet Region as the sole defendant, was brought by Cozzi’s mother, Michelle Cozzi.