Milwaukee Facility Negligence Lawyers Share Disturbing Story
Nursing home resident left outside in extreme heat dies
On behalf of Milwaukee personal injury attorney Ric Domnitz of Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. posted in Nursing Home Abuse on Thursday, June 9, 2011.
When people decide a family member should live in a nursing home, they have every right to expect that person will be cared for and never put in harm’s way.
A resident of the Sunrise Care Center in Milwaukee is dead after being left unattended in the record heat on Tuesday afternoon. It’s not completely clear if the man’s death was heat-related, but he did have a high fever the evening he died. The fatality might very well be a case of nursing home neglect.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the 69-year-old man asked to go outside in the mid-afternoon so he could enjoy the weather. He was allegedly left outside, unattended by caretakers, for over three hours. During that window, the city reportedly saw a record high of 97 degrees.
The man reportedly had a history of medical problems. The medical examiner’s office is reportedly performing an autopsy to see what caused his death. The health department would not comment on the death until a cause was found.
According to reports, the man’s temperature read 101.4 degrees at 8 p.m. the evening of his death. No one would say with certainty if that was a direct result of being left outdoors. The situation is still being investigated, and the nursing home’s administrator says they are conducting an internal investigation as well.
After the man died, health officials in the city took the opportunity to remind residents of the dangers of being out in extreme temperatures. A spokeswoman put it best when she said, “Extreme heat is real.”
It’s not worth taking any risks.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Nursing home death investigated,” Sharif Durhams, 8 June 2011
Do you need legal assistance from a Milwaukee personal injury attorney for a case of nursing home abuse? Contact Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. today for a free initial consultation.