The family of former Dallas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is negotiating with Baylor Scott & White over alleged medical neglect that the family claims caused her death.
Johnson was 89 when she died on New Year’s Eve.
Her lawyer hopes attention to her death and a settlement help other families avoid tragedy.
The settlement may involve Johnson’s original career as a nurse.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
At the dedication for a new University of North Texas at Dallas Innovation Center on January 27, 2022, Johnson spoke about how she fought to create that university and supported education.
“Most of my focus inside Congress has been in that area of education,” Johnson said. “It is our present and it is our future.”
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Before her 50 years in politics, Johnson attended college and became a nurse at the Veterans Administration hospital across Lancaster Road from that innovation center.
“And It didn’t have my picture on the application nor did my name specify I was a woman. It was an interesting experience,” Johnson said.
Among the challenges she faced as a young African American nurse, Johnson said she sometimes had to walk home from work late at night if she missed the bus.
“I use that experience to say that it launched me into the person I am now,” she said two years ago.
Johnson broke barriers throughout her life, but her lawyer Les Weisbrod claims it was medical neglect that took her life.
Weisbrod is primarily a medical malpractice attorney.
“It can happen to anybody, whether they’re a Congressperson or not,” he said. “I’ve probably represented clients suing every major hospital in North Texas.”
At the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, her family says Johnson was recovering from back surgery in September when she was left in a filthy bed for an hour.
Weisbrod claims it caused the infection that took her life on New Year's Day.
He said her son Kirk had been with his mother most of the time but left and returned to see a shocking situation.
Most patients will receive good care and be fine in hospital or rehab settings.
Weisbrod recommends that relatives make sure.
“Most of us will sleep in the room with a loved one or have someone in the family in the room with the loved one,” he said. “It’s important for family members to be the squeaky wheel. The squeaky wheel gets oiled first.”
He said it is wise to insist on speaking with supervisors and doctors about patient care concerns.
Baylor Scott & White issued a statement in response to a request for comment about the Johnson family claims.
“Congresswoman Johnson was a longtime friend and champion in the communities we serve—she is an inspiration to all. We are committed to working directly with the Congresswoman’s family members and their counsel. Out of respect for patient privacy, we must limit our comments.”
The family has threatened a lawsuit, but Weisbrod said a settlement could include establishing a foundation to help other families and promote good medical care.
“I would like to see something in her name for education and recruitment of minority nurses,” Weisbrod said. “We’re working on something that hopefully will be a good resolution.”
Eddie Bernice Johnson will lie in state at the Hall of State in Dallas Fair Park on Monday. A wake will be held Monday night at Concord Church. A funeral service will be held at that church Tuesday morning. The former congresswoman will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on Wednesday.
