A one point six million dollar wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a foster home in Klamath County…the suit was filed by relatives of 14 year old Larry Daniel Hammack.
The suit claims that negligence on the part of Kleos Childrens’s Community led to the death of fourteen year old Daniel Hammack in November of 2010.
The suit alleges that two Kleos employees dropped Hammack while moving him from his wheelchair in a bathroom, breaking both of Hammack’s legs.
Hammack died the following day.
KOTI contacted Kleos Executive Director Gordon Hankins for a comment. Hankins said he wasn’t at liberty to comment on the issue due to the pending litigation.
The suit also claims that the Oregon Department of Human Services was negligent in placing Daniel Hammack in a facility that was not capable of dealing with Hammack’s medical and physical needs.
The legal challenges aren’t the first for Kleos. Back in 2005, a foster father was sentenced to three years in prison for sexually abusing a client. Kleos didn’t receive re-certification until late 2009.
The suit was filed by Bend Attorney Joseph Walsh on behalf of Jody Hammack, Daniel’s aunt.
The suit seeks damages of one and a half million dollars for pain and suffering, and 110 thousand dollars for medical expenses and burial costs.
The civil suit was filed in Klamath County Court on November 15th. No trial date has yet been set.
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