The family of a severely diabetic man whom authorities said died at the hands of a nurse overseeing his care last year has filed a wrongful death suit against the facility where he lived, alleging it allowed the nurse to berate and bully him, and ultimately cause his death.
Former nursing home nurse Heather Pressdee has already been charged with administering excessive doses of insulin to patients — 17 of whom died.
In total, she allegedly mistreated 22 patients — some diabetic and others not — with the dangerous doses she administered at five different care facilities from 2020 to this year, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Now, a new lawsuit has been filed against one of those facilities, Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where Nicholas Cymbol died May 1, 2023.
The suit — filed Wednesday in Butler County, the family’s attorney Rob Peirce said — alleges the center and its operator were negligent, failed to train employees to recognize and report abuse, and failed to remove Pressdee from Cymbol’s care even though she had bullied him and called him a derogatory term.
Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
Cymbol’s death
Cymbol, 43, was a resident at Sunnyview. He was a “brittle diabetic,” meaning he often experienced large swings in his blood glucose levels, he had an anoxic brain injury, blindness and neuropathy and thus required around-the-clock care, the complaint said.
Pressdee, who was hired in January 2023, was the manager of the unit where Cymbol lived.
In that role, she was responsible for providing direct care to residents, addressing resident care concerns and conducting internal investigations into staff complaints or abuse.
The complaint alleged Pressdee “routinely insulted, berated, bullied and abused Mr. Cymbol, just as she had done to other residents.”
Staff allegedly knew she “disliked” Cymbol, and…
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