‘I find out I was dying and 10 hours later the roof falls in’: Houston woman injured while in hospice care

HOUSTON – A south Houston woman in hospice care is recovering after the ceiling in her bedroom came crashing down on top of her.

“I find out I was dying and 10 hours later the roof falls in,” said Pamela Ebanks.

Ebanks, 59, was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. Family members said she also suffered a heart attack recently and was sent home by doctors to live out her final days.

She told KPRC 2 she was in her room Monday night when the ceiling collapsed, which left her with cuts and bruises to her legs.

“I don’t know how to describe pain, you can’t put a number on pain,” Ebanks said.

Ebanks said her sister, Theresa Drake, contacted the management team at the La Bella Vista apartments on South Shaver but got no real answers as to when the damage would be repaired.

Drake said she believes a leak from the A/C unit in the apartment may to be blame for the collapse.

She explained that the unit has been leaking since November but the management team at the complex failed to make any repairs.

“We’d like for them to do their part and fix it so we can get her set up. It’s difficult to do what we’re doing out of the living room because stuff’s spread everywhere,” said Drake.

KPRC 2 reached out to the property manager but got no response.

A short time later, maintenance crews were out at the apartment repairing the issue.

Drake said she was happy with the work and hopes to make her sister as comfortable as possible.


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