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The family of a man who died after choking on food that was given to him at an area nursing home has reached a $250,000 settlement of a lawsuit filed against the facility and several other defendants.
Lori Meier of Edwardsville filed suit in 2004 against Lakeside Nursing Center in Dallas, alleging the facility’s negligence lead to the death of her brother, Luke Warman, on May 27, 2003.
According to the suit, Warman suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a degenerative nerve disease that robs the sufferer of the ability to move their muscles, including those that control the ability to swallow.
Warman was admitted to Lakeside Nursing Center in April 2003. A swallowing test was performed on him and he was placed on an all liquid diet.
Despite that directive, a speech therapist gave Warman a small amount of “pleasure food” on May 26, 2003, which caused Warman to choke. He suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen and died the next day.