What was supposed to be a short stay for recovery turned into a life-altering nightmare for a Kentucky woman — and now a lawsuit is raising serious questions about care inside a nursing facility.
Brenda Roberts, a 75-year-old woman from Williamstown, was admitted to Coldspring Transitional Care Center in Campbell County for short-term rehabilitation after breaking her ankle. According to a newly filed lawsuit, that routine rehab stay ended with Roberts losing the lower half of her left leg.
The legal complaint alleges that staff at the facility failed to follow clear instructions from Roberts’ orthopedic surgeon. While she was recovering, Roberts was required to wear an immobilizing ankle boot — but the suit claims staff repeatedly failed to remove it while she was lying in bed or sitting in a chair.
As a result, her left heel remained pressed against the hard plastic of the boot for extended periods of time. According to the lawsuit, the constant pressure caused severe skin breakdown, exposing tissue over her heel and cutting off blood flow. The damage reportedly progressed into a stage 4 pressure ulcer and led to a rapid decline in her health.
Roberts’ attorney, Matt Mooney, says the injuries were so severe that doctors were ultimately forced to amputate her leg below the knee.
“No one expects a routine rehabilitation stay to end in a catastrophic injury and an amputation,” Mooney said. He added that cases like this are often preventable and stem from understaffing and poor oversight.
The lawsuit claims Roberts endured extreme pain and suffering as the tissue over her heel died, all while she remained in the boot. It argues that the facility’s failure to remove the device wasn’t just a violation of her doctor’s orders, but also a basic failure to meet standard safety and care practices.
According to the complaint, Roberts suffered lasting physical and emotional harm, including disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, and loss of dignity.
Mooney said families should be able to trust short-term rehab centers to help loved ones heal and return home — not leave them worse off than when they arrived.
Roberts herself described feeling ignored during her stay. “I felt neglected there,” she told local station WCPO. “I didn’t have anyone really coming to look at my foot.”
The lawsuit argues that the facility had a duty to maintain proper protocols to protect residents from harm. As of publication, Coldspring Transitional Care Center had not responded to requests for comment.
If they are unable to properly care for their patients then those issues of “why” need to be addressed – and fixed. This was completely avoidable for a few different reasons. I feel bad for the patient – she could have healed as intended and then gone home and continued her life as before. Now she has a whole new set of things to learn and adjust to, such as learning how to be mobile as an amputee and possibly learn how to walk with a prosthetic. Not easy to do at any age however I’m sure being older has its own set of obstacles to overcome. (I’m 61 and disabled – I “get it”.) I hope her and her family hold the place accountable.
That’s terrible. They should be held accountable! But I have questions. Did she not have family visiting her? I have a boot and I remove it and put it on myself. I’m 73.