A case recently came before the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma involving a PERS system. The estate of decedent filed a claim against the manufacturer of the PERS system and the company that leased and monitored the system in the District Court of Grady County, Okla.
The decedent, who lived alone, suffered a stroke and was found by members of his family lying on his bed, unable to speak. When his family arrived they dialed 911, but the decedent did not recover from the stroke and his family filed the lawsuit. The plaintiff’s estate contended that one or both of the defendants were responsible for the death because after calling 911, the family attempted to activate the unit, and the unit failed to connect to the defendant’s monitoring station. The plaintiff contended that had the unit operated correctly, the decedent would have been able to summon help and earlier intervention would have saved his life.