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Woman lay immobile on her hotel room floor, staff assured her daughter daily she was “fine”
Lloyd Bell of Bell Law Firm today confirms the filing of a premises liability lawsuit in DeKalb County against Residence Inn by Marriott and other defendants. The suit arises from defendants’ wanton actions in the wrongful death of Joanne Friis Burson, who died on October 4, 2018. The suit states that Joanne Burson died after days of negligence and deception by the Residence Inn management and staff located at 2200 Lake Boulevard in Atlanta, in the Buckhead neighborhood.
Joanne Friis Burson was a months-long resident of the Residence Inn. In the weeklong period between September 25 and October 2 of 2018, having unexpectedly not heard from her mother, daughter Natalie Burson repeatedly asked staff working at the Residence Inn to initiate a wellness check for her mother’s safety. The suit states that each time, staff members agreed to do so and then falsely assured Natalie Burson of her mother’s wellbeing.
The suit states that the Residence Inn refused to allow Natalie Burson to check on her mother personally. Eventually, Natalie threatened to call police on Residence Inn staff if she did not speak with her mother at once. The suit states that a short time after that warning, Natalie received a phone call saying her mother had suffered a fall and was being taken to the hospital.
The suit states that at the hospital, doctors found a hip wound so deep and old it had become covered with maggots. The suit states that, according to a doctor, Joanne Burson must have been lying on the floor of the Residence Inn for days.
On October 4, 2018 Joanne died from her injuries. The suit states that Natalie Burson was later contacted by the Residence Inn’s insurance company, which offered to pay Natalie to waive any legal action. The suit states that Natalie asked to see the Incident Report, to find out exactly what happened to her mother. According to the suit, the insurance company told Natalie she would never see the Incident Report.
Today, two years later, Natalie has filed a lawsuit to uncover the truth and to hold accountable those who gave false assurances of Joanne’s safety while preventing her daughter from checking on her personally.
“Joanne Burson’s ordeal in the Residence Inn was a real-life nightmare,” states Lloyd Bell. “Time and again Natalie called tried to make sure her mother was safe. Time and again the Residence Inn gave Natalie false assurances — while Joanne lay injured on the floor of the Residence Inn, with vermin eating flesh in her hip. We hope that through legal action, we can bring the truth to light, create accountability for wrongdoing, and help prevent such nightmares from happening to anyone else. And by doing this, to let Joanne’s family move forward, knowing that the dignity and value of Joanne’s life has been vindicated.”
For more information about Bell Law Firm’s success in helping victims of wrongful death, visit: www.belllawfirm.com/results.
About Bell Law Firm
Bell Law Firm is Georgia’s preeminent firm for victims of medical malpractice. Founded in 1999 by Lloyd Bell, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for patients and families of people injured or killed due to medical negligence. Bell has more than 25 years of experience in federal and state courts, and he has represented clients in more than 80 jury trials and hundreds of successful settlements. Specializing in litigating misdiagnoses, surgical errors, and other types of malpractice, Bell Law firm differentiates itself with deep legal expertise, a mastery of technology in the courtroom and a compelling manner of storytelling. In 2018, Daily Report, the leading source of legal news in Atlanta, named Bell Law Firm as Personal Injury Litigation Team of the Year.
