Chicago Nursing Home Patient Dies in Fall Accident from Fourth Floor Window
In Chicago, 84-year-old nursing home resident Benny Saxon died on Monday after he fell from a fourth story window at Alden Wentworth Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. It is not known at this time whether he fell or jumped.
Police are investigating the incident. Saxon suffered from dementia and had recently been agitated.
Nursing Home Negligence
Chicago nursing homes must make sure that their residents do not come to harm while under their watch. This means giving patients with special needs the 24-hour care that they need and making sure that there is nothing in their environment that can cause them to get hurt or die. Failure to exercise this duty of care can be grounds for a Chicago nursing home neglect lawsuit.
For example, if a resident’s room is located on a higher floor, then the nursing home must make sure that the window is properly secured so that the patient doesn’t accidentally fall out of the window by accident. One way to do this to make sure that the resident’s bed isn’t located too close to the window, the screen hasn’t come loose, or that the windows have locks that prevent a patient who may not realize what he or she is doing from falling out.
If a nursing home patient is a “flight” or “wander” risk, then it is up to the workers at the nursing home to make sure that windows are properly locked and that there are alarm systems in place to warn nursing staff if a patient tries to escape.
Falling from great heights can lead to catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Unlike with younger fall accident victims, older people can take a longer time to recover from such injuries, which can lead to serious health complications and even death.
If your loved one got hurt or died while staying at a Chicago nursing home and you believe that he or she is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, it is important that you consider your legal options.
Man falls from nursing home window, Southtown Star, May 5, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Preventing Falls in the Elderly, Colorado State University
Contact our Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers today.
