Man’s fall at Rainier School raises scrutiny of WA’s ‘numerous failures’
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- A man fell at Rainier School and seriously injured his brain in 2024, a lawsuit says.
- Rainier School is a state-run center for people with developmental disabilities.
- The state “found numerous failures” in its review of the incident, according to the suit.
The state agency that runs Rainier School, a residential campus for people with disabilities in Pierce County, “found numerous failures” in protocol that led to a client’s fall in 2024 and resulted in lifelong injuries, according to a lawsuit.
Dustin Snyder, who was reportedly a known risk for falling, lived at the habilitation center in Buckley for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities from 2005 until just after he was seriously hurt in November 2024, the legal complaint said.
In the lawsuit filed this month in Pierce County Superior Court, Snyder’s legal guardian, Lorrie Medina, alleged that the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) neglected Snyder after the fall and delayed providing him with a medical examination for nearly a week. It was later determined at a hospital that Snyder suffered three brain bleeds and two skull fractures, according to the suit.
“Due to the severity of the brain injury, doctors predicted that Dustin would die within 48 hours,” the complaint said.
Snyder, now 43, survived but is not faring well. He previously required assistance to walk due to disabilities, but can no longer walk at all, according to the suit. His feet are now pigeon-toed, and the extent of his brain injuries is unknown, the suit said.
DSHS, which operates Rainier School, declined to comment on the lawsuit’s allegations Wednesday, citing its practice of not publicly addressing pending litigation. The complaint, filed March 12, accused the agency of negligence and abuse of a vulnerable adult.
Rainier School has faced abuse claims before. Legislation last year proposed shutting it down. Instead, it and Yakima Valley School — two of the state’s four residential rehabilitation centers — will remain open but cannot accept new residents, The News Tribune previously reported. Rainier School’s proponents say its role is critical.
DSHS’s own investigation concluded that Snyder should have been in a wheelchair instead of walking when he fell, and afterward he should have been taken to a hospital or, at least, seen by a nurse, according to the lawsuit.
Snyder has significant disabilities, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, non-verbal autism and a severe intellectual disability. He has the functional ability of a toddler and is a fall risk due to fatigue and seizures, the complaint said. As such, Snyder was required under his state-established care plan to use a wheelchair on all trips outside his residence, according to the suit.
Snyder did not have the wheelchair, however, during a trip to a campus coffee shop, a few hundred feet from his residence, on Nov. 26, 2024.
While walking with a DSHS caregiver, Snyder fell backward and struck the back of his head on a sidewalk, causing his head to gush blood, the suit said. The caregiver took Snyder back home instead of to an on-site doctor or emergency room; DSHS didn’t immediately report the fall to Snyder’s mother, who’s also his legal guardian; and DSHS didn’t draft an incident report, the suit said.
In the aftermath, Snyder showed signs of a brain injury, including “lethargy, unsteadiness, confusion, and decreased appetite and inability to feed himself,” according to the suit. He was seen by an on-site doctor for the first time after the fall on Dec. 2, 2024, and, as his symptoms worsened, Snyder’s mother was notified about his fall the following day, the suit said.
On Dec. 3, 2024, Snyder’s mother rushed him to a local hospital, where a CT scan and x-rays revealed his brain and skull injuries, the suit said. Snyder, who suffers from a disorder where one eats non-food items, also had debris of clothes, bedsheets and trash in his stomach, according to the complaint.
The “enormous amount of debris” suggested that Snyder wasn’t being properly supervised, the suit said, adding that he now must eat chopped up or blended foods.
Snyder spent more than five months in a hospital, where he couldn’t digest the debris, swallow, sit upright or show emotion, according to the suit. The complaint also alleged that DSHS “gave up” on Snyder and stopped funding his physical therapy.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and legal fees. An attorney representing the plaintiffs didn’t immediately return a message seeking to discuss the allegations Wednesday.
