Nursing home and elder abuse specialist law firm complaint contends profit-driven neglect at Ohio nursing home led to Stage IV bedsore and fatal sepsis

Michael Hill Trial Law, the leading litigation firm nationally recognized for its expertise in nursing home abuse cases, has filed a wrongful‑death lawsuit on behalf of the estate of Sam Ray Sr. against Arbors of Sylvania, an Ohio skilled‑nursing facility. The complaint alleges that profit‑driven decisions led to chronic understaffing and a failure to follow basic care standards, resulting in Mr. Ray developing a Stage IV pressure ulcer on his tailbone and dying from the ensuing infection.

According to the suit, the 72-year-old grandfather and lifelong Toledo resident was transferred to Arbors of Sylvania after hospitalizations in August 2024 for a urinary tract infection and aspiration pneumonia that left him weak but free of skin breakdown. The complaint alleges staff placed him in adult diapers despite his being continent, told him to soil himself instead of assisting him to the toilet, and left him in his own waste for extended periods, a practice that irritates skin and contributes to pressure‑ulcer formation.

Additionally, nurses allegedly failed to reposition him regularly or monitor his skin, allowing a small sore to become a large Stage IV bedsore on his tailbone. Mr. Ray underwent wound care on Oct. 7 and was hospitalized for sepsis Oct. 23 before dying in Jan. 2025. An autopsy tied his death to polymicrobial infection from the bedsore.

“Sam Ray Sr.’s family entrusted Arbors of Sylvania with his recovery,” said Michael Hill, founder of Michael Hill Trial Law. “Our lawsuit contends that Arbors of Sylvania denied Sam Ray Sr. even basic care, leaving him lying in his own waste until a wound ate through to bone and infection ravaged his body – an allegation that, sadly, echoes a broader pattern at the company’s other facilities.”

As part of the complaint, allegations are referenced from a separate lawsuit against Arbors at Oregon, where staff allegedly forced resident Lucy Garcia to wear adult diapers and soil herself despite being continent, left her lying in her own waste for hours, and downplayed a severe Stage IV pressure ulcer as a minor “abrasion.”

“We’re pursuing this case to secure justice for Mr. Ray and to hold the facility accountable so other families don’t endure the same tragedy,” said Hill.

The case is Estate of Samuel Frank Ray, Sr. v. Arbors at Sylvania aka Toledo Opco, LLC et al, Court of Common Pleas, Lucas County, Case No. CI2025-03702.

About Michael Hill Trial Law

Michael Hill Trial Law is a premier litigation firm that focuses exclusively on nursing home abuse and neglect cases. Founder Michael Hill has represented victims and families in more than 1,000 cases nationwide, achieving landmark verdicts and settlements, including the largest nursing home verdict in Ohio history.

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