Two Additional Wrongful Death Lawsuits Filed Against Guardian Healthcare and Belair Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center

PITTSBURGH, PA (March 5, 2024) Concerns raised by a prior lawsuit against Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and Guardian Healthcare, filed on October 3, 2023, on behalf of Marianne Bower's family, have intensified. The attorney representing the plaintiffs, from the law firm of Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C., expressed apprehensions that Marianne Bower's demise under Heather Pressdee's care might have been indicative of broader issues. As feared, Heather Pressdee's involvement has now been implicated in further fatalities at Belair.

Today, Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. initiated two additional wrongful death lawsuits against Guardian Healthcare and Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, representing the families of Jack Allen Rogers and Norman Paul Hendrickson.

Jack Allen Rogers, a 79-year-old Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was under long-term care at Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. Allegations from Mr. Rogers' family suggest that on the overnight shift of November 14, 2021, to November 15, 2021, Heather Pressdee, former Assistant Director of Nursing at Belair, administered 100 units of insulin to Mr. Rogers, who neither had diabetes nor a prescription for insulin. Mr. Rogers passed away the following day, November 16, 2021. Subsequently, Pressdee acquired a memorial tile engraved with Mr. Rogers' name and presented it to his family.

Norman Paul Hendrickson, an 88-year-old former steelworker, was admitted to Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center on February 20, 2022, after a brief hospitalization for COVID-19. Hendrickson's family alleges that during the overnight shift of February 23, 2022, to February 24, 2022, Heather Pressdee injected him with 100 units of insulin, despite his lack of diabetes or a prescription for insulin. Shortly after, Mr. Hendrickson experienced acute respiratory failure and had to be transported to Allegheny Valley Hospital by ambulance. Due to the severity of his condition, Mr. Hendrickson remained in critical care for several weeks. The complaint alleges that he never fully recovered and required skilled nursing care until his death on December 15, 2022.

These lawsuits mark the second and third wrongful death cases filed by Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C. against Guardian Healthcare and Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center concerning Pressdee's care. Both complaints allege that in April 2021, Belair hired Heather Pressdee as its Assistant Director of Nursing without conducting a proper background check. Prior to her employment at Belair, Pressdee had faced termination or forced resignation from six local healthcare facilities within a span of less than three years due to abusive behavior towards residents and staff. Despite rumors and concerns raised by nursing staff about the deteriorating condition of Pressdee's direct-care residents, Belair's administration failed to investigate properly. Instead, they disciplined the nurses for discussing their suspicions and allowed Pressdee to continue in her role. Both complaints hold the defendants responsible for causing or contributing to the deaths of Mr. Hendrickson and Mr. Rogers.

Read more on this story