Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
Arrests are expected Monday in the case of a Florida nursing home where 12 elderly patients died after it lost power during a 2017 hurricane, according to reports.
Three nurses and an administrator are apparently being charged. The charges are unknown at this time, but they will likely be some form of manslaughter.
Police have been investigating the deaths for nearly two years but no charges have been filed.
Patients began dying at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills days after the hurricane. Investigators say the center did not evacuate patients as temperatures inside rose, even though a fully functional hospital was across the street. The home’s license was suspended days after the storm and it later shuttered.
On Wednesday, September 13th paramedics were called to see to patients in distress at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. Firefighters went throughout the entire nursing home facility and found three people dead. Emergency responders then evacuated more than 150 patients to hospitals, many on stretchers or in wheelchairs. By Wednesday afternoon, five more residents had died. The nursing home sits across the street from Memorial Regional Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Florida, which did not lose power during the entire storm. Regardless, other than a couple residents, the facility did not evacuate any residents until residents began to perish starting early in the morning of September 13th.
Paramedics from Hollywood Fire-Rescue testified last year that they are haunted by the deaths of 12 patients. A Fire Lt. said one of the female victims had a temperature of 107.5 degrees (42 Celsius), the highest she had ever seen in her 12-year career. Later that morning, another patient topped that with a temperature that was so high it couldn’t be measured, she said.
The case made national headlines and sparked political backlash. Months after the deaths, lawmakers passed a bill requiring backup power sources in Florida nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The legislation require the facilities to have a generator capable of keeping nursing homes and assisted living facilities at 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) or lower for at least four days.
Our Florida Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Attorneys at Whittel & Melton are passionate about helping families of wrongful death victims hold nursing homes accountable for their actions. When we take a nursing home negligence case, we will do whatever it takes to help family members obtain maximum compensation for their loss. If you have lost a loved one and believe that negligence or abuse may be to blame, we urge you to get in touch with us so that we can hold the nursing home responsible and win you the compensation you deserve.
Sadly, residents suffer these conditions as a direct result of receiving inadequate or improper care. Whether this is the result of a singular incident (such as losing power and suffering from sweltering temperatures) or deficient care over an extended period of time (as with malnutrition or dehydration), negligence on the part of nursing home staff members can easily lead to fatal medical conditions that with proper care should have been avoided.
It is important to note that even when conditions are not fatal, the elderly residents of nursing homes are still at an increased risk for contracting other life-threatening conditions and diseases. Severe injuries from falls and serious illnesses like untreated bed sores can all leave elderly residents in a weakened physical and emotional state. This makes them much more susceptible to being unable to fight off other illnesses and infections, and ultimately could result in them losing their life. When nurses and other nursing home staff members are unable or unwilling to provide details on how your loved one died, this can be a warning sign that negligence or abuse was a factor. You have every right to question the cause of your loved one’s death, and if the answers are hard to come by then you could have a valid wrongful death claim against the nursing home.
Our lawyers can help you get the answers you are looking for, and if it appears that you have a claim, we will do whatever we can to make sure your are fully compensated for your losses.
Our consultations are completely free of charge and come at no risk to you as everything is strictly confidential. We will make sure you are informed of your rights and understand exactly how we will proceed with your case from start to finish in order to maximize your recovery.