ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Patients Found With Plastic Bags Over Their Heads
Victims Were 75 And 88 Years Old
Employee Arrested And Charged With The Murders
While any story of intentional abuse of nursing home residents is heartbreaking, a particularly gruesome double homicide occurred in one care home recently, as discussed below. Evans Law Firm, Inc. represents elderly victims and families in cases of nursing home abuse and pursue all those responsible for the abuse including any owners or administrators and supervisory persons in charge of any caregiver who abuses or neglects patients. In addition to injuries from intentional physical abuse or assault or sexual assault or rape, injury by negligence, neglect and abandonment are also actionable forms of elder abuse. See Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §§ 15610.05 (definition of abandonment); 15610.63 (definition of physical elder abuse), and 15610.57 (definition of neglect). Victims and families may sue all those responsible for injuries sustained. Recourse can include award of attorneys’ fees and costs in certain circumstances. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657(a). If you have a loved one who has suffered injury due to neglect, abandonment or abuse in a nursing home or care facility here in Los Angeles or Diamond Bar elsewhere in Southern California, call Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669, and we can help. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Double Homicide At Care Home[1]
Two female residents of a senior living home in Diamond Bar, California were found dead in June after being suffocated to death with plastic bags, according to authorities. The medical examiner’s office concluded the cause of death for both victims, 75 and 83 years old, was asphyxia as a result of neck compression and suffocation. The women were found in a bathroom on the rear side of an elderly care home property with plastic bags over their heads and taped to their necks, according to a report from the medical examiner’s office. The seniors were pronounced dead at the scene. An investigator with the medical examiner’s office reported that he saw several plastic bags, a roll of electrical tape, a belt and an extension cord on the bathroom floor where the victims were found. An employee was charged with the murders and has pleaded not guilty, court records show. The individual revealed to the care home owner that he had “done something bad” and said he had killed two residents, according to the investigator from the medical examiner’s office.
Remedies For Victims And Families
The facts in the reported case are horrific but nursing home patients can also suffer from negligent or substandard care. A neglected bedridden patient may develop bedsores/pressure wounds which can be fatal or develop sepsis or other infections or suffer from dehydration or malnutrition. Dementia patients who tend to wander (called elopement) may suffer injury if not monitored. Whether the injuries are the result of intentional abuse as in the reported case or negligence, we believe owners, administrators, and individual staff members should be held accountable for any neglect or abuse inflicting injury. Damages include:
- Economic damages where an actual cost has been absorbed such as medical expenses, loss of income, and specialist fees.
- An award of attorneys’ fees and costs in litigating the case. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657.5.
- Non-economic damages such as emotional trauma, pain, suffering, and loss of a loved one.
- Punitive damages that are awarded as punishment against the defendant and also meant to deter other nursing homes and staff from committing similar neglect or abuse.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one been the victim of nursing home abuse in Los Angeles or Diamond Bar or elsewhere in Southern California, contact Ingrid M. Evans at Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our toll free number is 1-888-50EVANS.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the story in any way.
