An Oregon wrongful death lawsuit filed recently in Chiloquin raises new questions about the conduct of an area children’s center that has had a rocky relationship with state and local authorities.
According to the Klamath Falls Herald & News, the Oregon wrongful death suit against Kleos Children’s Community and the Klamath County Department of Human Services alleges that “a wheelchair-bound 14-year-old placed at Kleos under the directive of DHS died as a result of complications from two bilateral fractures to both femurs” as a result of a November 2010 accident.
The paper and local television station KOBI report that the suit claims that DHS was negligent in placing the child at a facility that, it says, could not properly address his “medical and physical needs.” The newspaper reports that the suit claims that Kleos was negligent in its treatment of the boy – both in initiating the actions that resulted in the accident, and, later, in its treatment of him following the incident. The boy died a day after suffering the two broken legs “when two employees of Kleos dropped him while trying to move him from his wheelchair to a new location.”
The paper notes that the home has had other problems with DHS over the years, leading the agency, at one point, to withdraw children from the facility until a new agreement between the owners and the state was reached. The attorney for the family filing the Oregon wrongful death suit involving a fatal child injury, however, told the Herald & News that he believes “Kleos has more clear liability issues than DHS.”
For a Portland wrongful death lawyer this case involving a child in the state care system is heartrending. It is a powerful reminder of the responsibilities that both the government and its approved caregivers assume when we place loved ones with them, and the important role our courts play in ensuring their safety.
Klamath Falls Herald & News: Morning Report: Foster care facility faces wrongful death suit
KOBI5.com: ‘Kleos’ Faces $1.6 million Suit