The family of Floyd Martinez, an 82-year-old man who tragically died after an assault at Pioneer Health Care Center in Rocky Ford, Colorado, is taking legal action against the facility. Their lawsuit alleges that negligence and inadequate safety measures at Pioneer Health Care Center directly contributed to Martinez’s death, which they believe was preventable.
Floyd Martinez, a resident at Pioneer Health Care Center, passed away in May 2020, two weeks after being hospitalized due to injuries sustained in an attack by another resident. While the individual accused of assault died before facing trial, the lawsuit filed in April brings to light serious concerns about the operational standards and safety protocols within Pioneer Health Care Center. The core argument of the lawsuit centers around understaffing at the facility, suggesting that these conditions were a significant factor in the events leading to Martinez’s untimely death. Although many nursing homes have faced staffing challenges, particularly heightened during the pandemic, Pioneer Health Care Center’s issues extend beyond general industry struggles, with a documented history of safety lapses preceding this incident.
Legal proceedings reveal that Martinez’s family is seeking compensation for wrongful death and alleged violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. They contend that Pioneer Health Care Center misrepresented itself as a safe environment for its residents, failing to provide the expected level of care and protection. Despite attempts to solicit comments from Pioneer Health Care Center regarding the lawsuit, no responses have been received.
The incident occurred on the evening of April 16, 2020, when Matthew Singleton Sr., 63, allegedly attacked Martinez after Martinez entered his room. Martinez’s death certificate officially recorded the cause of death as complications from blunt force injuries sustained during this assault, highlighting the severity of the incident at Pioneer Health Care Center.
An inspection conducted in August 2020 by regulatory bodies (August 2020 inspection) substantiated the claims of safety deficiencies at Pioneer Health Care Center. The inspection report, while anonymized to protect resident privacy, detailed an assault on an 82-year-old resident on April 16, mirroring the circumstances of the attack on Martinez. The report cited the assailant’s own statement admitting to severely beating the victim after finding him in his room, a detail corroborated by the initial police report.
The inspection report specifically criticized Pioneer Health Care Center for failing to adequately supervise both the assailant, who had a prior history of resident assault, and Martinez himself, who had a known tendency to enter other residents’ rooms. Further negligence was noted in the staff’s lack of monitoring the assailant’s behavior changes post-attack and the delayed communication to police regarding the victim’s serious injuries, including brain bleeding, which were initially dismissed as superficial.
The August 2020 inspection also uncovered a preceding incident just 11 days before the assault on Martinez. In this earlier event, the resident matching Singleton’s description, characterized by moderate cognitive impairment and mood instability, physically attacked another resident over a stolen juice. Although no injuries were reported in this instance, Pioneer Health Care Center temporarily implemented a plan of constant monitoring for Singleton, which was quickly reduced to checks every 15 minutes for only three days.
While the inspector refrained from directly linking understaffing to the assaults, the facility administrator acknowledged staff turnover as a persistent challenge. A February 2020 inspection report mentioned a certified nursing assistant’s account of working in the dementia unit with minimal support, potentially hindering their ability to prevent residents from wandering and supervise those with aggressive tendencies. However, the report stopped short of confirming if understaffing was directly responsible on the night of Martinez’s assault at Pioneer Health Care Center.
Pioneer Health Care Center’s history of safety violations extends beyond recent inspections. In 2012, a jury held Pioneer Health Care Center liable in another resident’s death, resulting in a $3.2 million award to the family. This case involved severe neglect, with the resident suffering from malnourishment and preventable bedsores.
Further demonstrating a pattern of safety issues, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Pioneer Health Care Center $9,000 in 2018 due to incidents of residents physically attacking employees, including biting, kicking, and punching. These incidents, while sometimes associated with dementia-related confusion, highlight the facility’s need for improved de-escalation techniques and violence prevention strategies.
Additional inspections in 2018, 2019, and February 2020 consistently revealed issues such as resident altercations, inadequate prevention of residents wandering into each other’s rooms, inconsistent use of de-escalation tactics, and insufficient staff training in managing dementia-related behaviors. Even after Martinez’s death, a September 2021 report documented further instances of resident-on-resident violence, including serious injuries requiring hospitalization, indicating ongoing safety concerns at Pioneer Health Care Center.
The lawsuit brought by Martinez’s family underscores a critical assertion: “Defendants were on notice and aware of problems with resident care,” and “Defendants know that their facility could not provide the minimum standard of care to the weak and vulnerable residents of Pioneer Health Care Center.” This legal action seeks to hold Pioneer Health Care Center accountable for its alleged failures in resident safety and care, aiming to secure justice for Floyd Martinez and potentially instigate necessary improvements within the facility to prevent future tragedies.
