A Tampa mother is suing a group home after her son lost two fingers to flesh-eating bacteria. Kelly Gray says the staff at All About Living Inc. did not care for her son the right way. He got a bite wound. That wound turned into a deadly infection.
Doctors call the infection necrotizing fasciitis. Most people call it flesh-eating bacteria. It can spread through skin and muscle in hours, not days. Gray's son, David Nolan-Hersey, is 34 years old. He has autism and an intellectual disability. He lived at the Tampa group home when the wound got infected.
This case matters far beyond Tampa. Families across South Texas also place loved ones with disabilities in group homes. They trust staff to catch small injuries before they turn deadly. A bite wound seems small at first. Left untreated, it can cost a person fingers, toes, or even their life.
Gray filed a lawsuit against All About Living Inc. She is asking for $100,000 in damages. She claims staff were negligent, meaning careless, in her son's care. That is according to local station WFLA. The lawsuit says the home should have caught the infection sooner. It says the home should have gotten him help faster.
Necrotizing fasciitis is rare, but it moves fast. Bacteria eat through skin, fat, and muscle within hours. Doctors often must cut away dead tissue right away to save a patient's life. In bad cases, people lose fingers, hands, or legs. Some do not survive. Every hour without treatment raises the risk.
Group homes like All About Living Inc. care for adults who cannot fully care for themselves. Staff are supposed to check residents for cuts, bites, and sores every day. When someone cannot speak up about their own pain, staff become their only line of defense. Gray's lawsuit claims that line broke down.
Lawsuits like this one turn on a simple question. Did the home know about the wound? Did it act fast enough? To prove negligence, Gray must show three things. The home had a duty of care, meaning a legal responsibility to keep her son safe. The home broke that duty. That failure caused real harm. Losing two fingers to an infection is the kind of harm that is hard to argue away in court.
The case is still moving through the courts. It is not yet clear if All About Living Inc. has filed a response. It is also not clear exactly when the bite happened. It is not clear how long the wound went untreated before doctors found the infection. Those details will likely come out as the lawsuit moves forward.
Cases like this one push advocates for people with disabilities to speak up. They say families should ask hard questions before picking any group home. How often does staff check residents for cuts and sores? How fast does the home call a doctor when something looks wrong? A clear answer is a good sign. A vague answer is a warning sign.
Families also have the right to ask for records. They can ask how a home reports injuries. They can ask who checks on residents overnight. These are simple questions. A home that cares for vulnerable adults should be able to answer them without hesitation.
South Texas has its own group homes and care facilities for adults with disabilities. This Tampa case is a reminder for local families too. A wound that seems minor can turn into a medical emergency within a day. Fast action from staff can be the difference between a scare and a tragedy.
For now, Nolan-Hersey is left without two fingers. His mother wants the group home held responsible in court. A judge or a jury will decide if her claim holds up.
