Disabled son left in horrific pain for hours at care home

A QUEENSLAND family is desperately searching for answers after their disabled son almost died at a supported accommodation facility.

HORRIFIC: Eden Camac underwent surgery and spent a month in hospital recovering after a fall in a care facility. Picture: 7.30 ABC

A BUNDABERG family is searching for answers after their disabled son almost died as a result of serious injuries sustained during his stay at a supported accommodation facility.

Michael and Sharon Camac shared their heartbreaking story with the ABC's 7.30 Report which aired on Wednesday night.

In October last year their 25-year-old son Eden, who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, suffered injuries synonymous with those of a car accident after falling out of bed.

The condition means Eden has an intellectual disability and impaired physical development. He uses a wheelchair to get around and requires assistance with all aspects of daily life.

At the time, Eden was staying at a supported accommodation facility operated by Community Lifestyle Support.

On October 9, Eden broke both of his hips and his left leg as a result of the fall, which was caused after a support worker claimed he forgot to put the bedrails up.

Instead of reporting the incident, the worker put Eden back into bed where he lay for 10 hours before another worker called an ambulance.

Eden required lifesaving surgery and spent time in intensive care following the incident.

Michel and Sharon are still searching for answers and feel Eden was failed by the system.

Eden's parents Michael and Sharon Camac are searching for answers after their son Eden sustained horrific injuries during his stay at a care facility. Picture: 7.30 ABC

In a statement provided to the ABC, Community Lifestyle Support said the incident was "completely avoidable".

Within two hours of the detection of the incident, the CEO of CLS was notified and an investigation was immediately requested, the support worker's employment was terminated within five hours.

"The worker did not properly follow the training they had received, inexcusably leaving Eden in serious pain without seeking assistance or medical attention," the statement said.

"At 7.32am on October 10, one of our workers identified that Eden was in pain, and raised concerns with our on-call service who advised them to seek urgent medical attention."

In their report, 7.30 revealed CLS failed to report the incident to the Department of Communities and Disability Services, which only found out when Sharon notified them.

The department told the ABC the safety and well-being of Queenslanders with a disability remains one of their highest priorities.

"We are continuing to treat this case seriously and have been in regular contact with Mrs Camac to provide updates on the progress on the enquiries into this complaint," the department said.

"We understand the Queensland Police Service has investigated this matter and is not taking any further action at this stage."

An x-ray of Eden's hip after surgery. Picture: 7.30 ABC

Sharon told the ABC the family believed Eden's case was harmed because he was non-verbal and unable to provide a police statement.

"I don't believe that Eden has had a right to justice. I think the system has failed him as a person living with a complex disability," Ms Camac said.

A spokesman for Queensland Police said Detectives from Bundaberg undertook an extensive investigation into the incident.

"At the conclusion of the investigation there was insufficient available evidence to substantiate a degree of neglect to a criminal standard or assault from any person," he said.

"Police are bound to investigate complaints within the boundaries of applicable legislation.

"The prosecution of any offender requires sufficient evidence to a standard that police believe they can present a prima facie case to a court and ultimately the evidence provided must meet a standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

"Police held in-depth discussions with the family and they were advised of the outcome of the investigation.

"An internal review of the investigation is underway."