Estate of Old Woman 'Abandoned' at Dialysis Facility Sues Center, Ambulance Company and Nursing Home

JOLIET, IL — The estate of a sickly, elderly woman locked alone in a Joliet dialysis facility for hours on Halloween night sued the center, an ambulance company and the nursing home where she lived.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Patricia Terry named Davita Renal Center West Joliet, Alden Estates of Shorewood and Kurtz Ambulance Service.

Terry, 71, died the day after she was left alone in the Essington Road dialysis facility.

Terry’s death was attributed to natural causes. At the time, Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil said Terry’s doctors were consulted and they reported that she suffered from a “host” of illnesses.

The lawsuit, filed by estate administrator Patricia Sistek, said Terry was “abandoned in a waiting room at Davita Healthcare Partners after her dialysis treatment and sustained injury.”

Davita staff failed to confirm Terry would be picked up by Kurtz Ambulance Service, the lawsuit said, then neglected to check on her, left her sitting in a wheelchair, and never questioned why she was still in the waiting room when they locked up and went home.

Someone noticed Terry sitting in a wheelchair inside the locked building and called the cops, police said. Firefighters gained entrance to the building shortly before midnight on Halloween and transported Terry to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, where she later died.