Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Mildred Ellefson, a 101-year-old nursing home patient has died. The elderly woman passed away less than two days after a car that crashed into the Palisade Manor nursing home struck her. An autopsy was conducted to determine whether she died from injuries she sustained during the nursing home accident or from other causes.

Police have charged the driver of the vehicle that struck Ellefson, 18-year-old Clarrissa Jean Kutil, with operating a vehicle without a license and careless driving. Kutil and two others were at the assisted living facility waiting for a friend who worked there to come out when Kutil decided to play a joke on her two companions, who were sitting on the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass’s trunk.

She reportedly meant to merely rev the engine of the car to startle the two males when she accidentally placed the car in reverse and stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. The vehicle crashed through the brick hall of the nursing home, trapping Ellefson, between the wall and her bed. The 101-year-old nursing home patient was treated at a hospital before being released. She went back to the assisted living facility. The nursing home administrator had said that Ellefson sustained bruises and cuts from the car crash.

Nursing Home Negligence
Nursing homes are responsible for their patients’ well-being. When a resident gets hurt or dies while staying at an assisted living facility and workers at the nursing home caused or failed to prevent the injuries or death, the patients and his/her family may have grounds for a Chicago nursing home negligence claim.

101-year-old woman injured in nursing home accident dies, ArgusLeader, June 23, 2010

Woman, 101, dies after crash into SD nursing home, KTIV, June 23, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Home, Medicare.gov

Nursing Home Abuse Overview, Justia