Southport Fire Chief Sues Novant Health Over Fatal Fall 2026

Key Points

• Charles Drew, the Southport fire chief, has sued the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, its transfer center, and Dr Jane Anne Shaw on the grounds of medical malpractice and wrongful death.
• The suit concerns the death of his 67-year-old mother Juanita Bowling Jones in January 2025, which followed from an unobserved bathroom fall and a subdural hematoma.
• The complaint states that Jones was warned that she had a high risk of falls, but that there were no preventative measures taken.
• Novant Health stated that it could not comment on the treatment of their patients and ongoing legal action but sent its condolences to the family.
• For the estate of Jones, a trial by jury and more than $25,000 damages for each case have been requested.

Southport Fire (Liverpool standard) October 03, 2026 — It has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Novant Health and an attending doctor, alleging hospital staff ignored warnings that his 67-year-old mother was at high risk of falling before a fatal bathroom fall triggered an untreated brain bleed.

Chief Charles Drew, acting as administrator of the estate of his mother, Juanita Bowling Jones, filed the medical malpractice complaint in Brunswick County Superior Court. The suit names several Novant Health entities, including Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, Novant’s transfer centre and Dr Jane Anne Shaw as defendants.

“It’s very unfortunate that my mother passed away and the lawsuit is pending,” Drew said. “The allegations are listed in the lawsuit documents.”

Timeline of admission, fall and medical response

According to the lawsuit, Jones was admitted to the hospital in Bolivia on 16 January 2025 with flu-like symptoms and decompensated heart failure. The next day, Drew warned staff that his mother was unsteady on her feet, had a history of falls and needed help getting out of bed. The lawsuit states a nurse assured him fall precautions, including a bed alarm, would be set up.

Late in the evening on 18 January, Jones suffered an unwitnessed fall in her hospital bathroom and hit her head, the lawsuit states. At the time, she was taking daily aspirin and prescription blood thinners.

Staff logged the fall at 10:26 p.m., and a CT scan completed roughly 35 minutes later revealed a 4-millimetre subdural haematoma — bleeding between the brain and skull — that was flagged as a critical result, according to the complaint.

Shaw consulted neurosurgery through Novant’s transfer centre later that night. The agreed plan was to hold her blood thinners, closely monitor her neurological condition, and order a repeat CT scan in six hours.

When doctors repeated the scan early on the morning of 19 January, the bleed had expanded to 6 millimetres, the complaint states. Throughout the morning, Jones’ condition rapidly declined into confusion, drowsiness, slurred speech, a severe headache and vomiting. According to the filing, a certified nursing assistant repeatedly asked for help for Jones, but an assigned nurse did not respond because she was caring for another patient.

By 9:30 a.m., Jones had become completely unresponsive, triggering a rapid response, the lawsuit says. Staff intubated her, and new imaging showed the haematoma had expanded further, pushing her brain significantly off-centre.

Low visibility prevented medical helicopters from flying, forcing dispatchers to call a ground critical-care ambulance from Wilmington at 11 a.m. Jones arrived at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Centre around 12:30 p.m. and went into emergency brain surgery at 1:44 p.m. to evacuate the bleed and relieve pressure.

Jones died two days later, on 21 January.

Allegations of negligence and failures in care

The lawsuit alleges the hospital and medical providers acted with gross negligence and reckless disregard by failing to enforce fall protections, monitor Jones’ deterioration, escalate care after the second scan, or secure an emergency transfer in time.

As reported by WECT Staff, the complaint asserts that despite being told of Jones’ fall risk and history, staff did not ensure fall precautions were in place and that monitoring and escalation protocols were not followed after her condition worsened.

Novant Health provided the following statement in response to the lawsuit: “We extend our deepest condolences to those grieving the loss of a loved one, however, we are unable to disclose details concerning the care of a patient or discuss active litigation.”

Jones’ estate is seeking a jury trial and more than $25,000 in damages on each claim for medical bills, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses, as well as punitive damages.

Who are the parties named in the Novant Health lawsuit?

The defendants named in the filing include Novant Health Brunswick Medical Centre, Novant’s transfer centre and Dr Jane Anne Shaw. Chief Charles Drew is bringing the action as administrator of the estate of his mother, Juanita Bowling Jones.

As reported by WECT, the case has been filed in Brunswick County Superior Court and seeks a jury trial.

What remedies and damages are being sought by the estate?

The lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 in damages on each claim for medical bills, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses, plus punitive damages. The filing also requests a jury trial.

Background to the development

This legal action follows a sequence of events beginning with Jones’ admission to Novant Health Brunswick Medical Centre in mid-January 2025 for flu-like symptoms and heart failure, according to the complaint. The family’s warnings about her fall risk, the subsequent unwitnessed bathroom fall, the discovery of a subdural haematoma and the expansion of the bleed over several hours form the factual basis of the allegations. The case adds to public scrutiny of hospital fall-prevention protocols and the management of patients on blood-thinning medication who suffer head injuries.

Prediction: how this development could affect patients and families

If the allegations are substantiated in court, the case could prompt hospitals to review fall-prevention measures, staffing ratios and escalation pathways for patients on anticoagulants who sustain head injuries. For patients and families, clearer communication about fall risks, documented precautions and faster transfer arrangements for neurosurgical care may become more common. For healthcare providers, the outcome could influence training, documentation practices and liability exposure in similar wrongful-death and medical malpractice claims.