Parents of Mason City boy sue over his death

The parents of an eleven-year-old boy who died after he was restrained at a mental health home in Mason City are suing the center, its owner and two employees.Robert and Karen Wilson have filed a lawsuit in Cerro Gordo County District Court against Gerard Treatment Programs; an affiliate known as Nexus Incorporated; and two Gerard employees, Lori Meacham and Jeremy Witt. Tanner Wilson died last February at Gerard of Iowa. The Cerro Gordo County medical examiner says he died of cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained. Meacham was charged with child endangerment and is scheduled to go on trial in November. The lawsuit attributes Tanner’s injuries and death to negligence, reckless indifference and a failure by Gerard to properly train and supervise its workers.