'Sit on the toilet': Disabled man died from 20-pound fecal impaction after group home refused to take his constipation complaints seriously, lawsuit says

A radical location successful Ohio allowed a antheral with "intellectual and/or developmental disabilities" and a "history of constipation" to spell weeks without a bowel movement, starring to a "massive" postulation of impacted feces successful his colon that "weighed implicit 20 pounds" and killed him, a lawsuit says.

"Defendants did thing for weeks to assistance James," a legal complaint filed by James Stewart's household charges, accusing the Clear Skies Ahead radical location successful Bazetta Township of causing the 41-year-old's "entirely avoidable death."

Stewart had a past of "autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective upset with impulse power disorder." He was taking medications for his "intellectual disorders" that caused terrible constipation, according to the complaint, and was residing astatine Clear Skies due to the fact that helium needed regular assistance with his attraction needs and supervision to support him safe, his household says.

Stewart died connected Nov. 15, 2024, aft complaining to unit astir being constipated for "several weeks to arsenic agelong arsenic a month," the ailment alleges.

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"For respective days earlier November 15, 2024, James complained of abdominal pain, and was not acting similar himself," the ailment says. "James was typically a happy, friendly, and progressive individual, who brought joyousness to those astir him. In the days, and adjacent weeks starring up to November 15, 2024, James was despondent, debased energy, and complaining of pain."

Stewart allegedly showed "visible" signs of his terrible constipation, including bruising to his abdominal country "that was noticeable upon immoderate tenable inspection." The ailment says staffers with Fairhaven Industries, which was contracted by Clear Skies, did not notify Stewart's doc of his condition, nor did they notify his family.

"[Stewart] complained of abdominal symptom for respective days, had not had a bowel question successful respective weeks, and had a long, rectangular bruise (light purple shade) crossed his abdomen," the ailment says. "Clear Skies Ahead and Defendant Fairhaven Industries, Incorporated, did not person a strategy successful spot for their unit to show and grounds bowel movements for residents, including James."

This allegedly led to the radical location and its workers "missing wholly that James had not had a bowel movement." Stewart tried telling unit that helium was "not feeling good and that helium had abdominal pain," which helium said helium experienced consistently, but cipher took his complaints seriously, the ailment says.

"[A unit member] instructed James to 'sit connected the toilet,'" the ailment alleges, noting however the proposition came the time Stewart died. "Even though helium sat connected the toilet for immoderate time, James could not person a bowel movement."

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A Clear Skies Ahead manager aboriginal recovered James successful his country "unresponsive, not breathing, and with nary pulse," according to his family. The Bazetta Township Fire Department arrived connected the country soon aft and noted that James had a "discolored enactment crossed his abdomen, and that his abdomen was importantly distended — oregon swollen — and rigid to touch," the ailment says. Medics transported Stewart to a section hospital, wherever doctors pronounced him dead.

The autopsy performed by the region coroner revealed that Stewart's colon was "obstructed with hardened stool for truthful agelong that the postulation of impacted feces successful his colon weighed implicit 20 pounds, putting truthful overmuch unit connected his interior organs that it caused hostility pneumoperitoneum — state from wrong James's bowel forcing its mode into his abdomen done microtears successful the partition of his intestines," according to the complaint.

"Group homes similar Clear Skies Ahead are entrusted with the attraction of our astir susceptible loved ones," said lawyer Michael Mooney, with Michael Hill Trial Law, who is representing the family. "What happened to James is simply a heartbreaking reminder of what tin hap erstwhile that work is ignored. This suit is astir accountability and ensuring nary different household ever endures a nonaccomplishment similar this."

Clear Skies Ahead and Fairhaven did not respond to Law&Crime's requests for comment.