Nine Indicted in Nursing Home Death

Nine employees of a Long Island nursing home have been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the death of a 72-year-old patient, according to recent reports.

Officials have stated that Medford Multicare Center for Living in Long Island has come under recent scrutiny as its administrator, respiratory therapy director, and several nurses have been charged with neglect of 72-year-old Aurelia Rios, leading to her death in October of 2012. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman gave further detail, stating that Rios died because she was not attached to a ventilator as ordered by her doctors. Prosecutors claim the nine staff members ignored an alarm that sounded every fifteen seconds for more than two hours before Rios died. The prosecution claims that this oversight by the medical staff led to Rio’s preventable death.

Despite forty-six counts filed in the indictment, the medical staffs’ attorneys stated that their clients are respected medical staff and did no wrong. A spokesman for the Multicare Center for Living nursing home stated that, “Medford remains confident that these allegations will be proven false and it will show that the facility in fact provides excellent quality of care.” All nine employees pled not guilty at arraignment, with their attorneys claiming that the death was accidental.

Nursing Home Abuse More Common Than Most Realize

Nursing home neglect and abuse is an issue that many unfortunately face. Nursing home abuse can take many forms, including physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect. Unfortunately, most people who face the issue of nursing home abuse or neglect are unaware of their legal rights. If you feel a loved one has fallen victim to nursing home neglect or abuse, it is imperative that you seek legal aid. The process for filing and proving nursing home abuse and neglect is a difficult and complicated one. Thus, it is important for those facing such an issue to seek expert, legal help from experienced nursing home abuse lawyers. The Fitzgerald Law Firm in New York help victims and their families through the entire process of seeking compensation for nursing home abuse or neglect. This process includes initiating the complaint process with the New York State Department of Health Nursing Home and ICF/MR Surveillance, contacting the proper law enforcement personnel, if necessary, and beginning civil legal proceedings.

Rather than taking on the burden of fighting for justice on your own, talk to New York’s experienced nursing home abuse lawyers at the Fitzgerald Law Firm. Contact the Fitzgerald Law Firm today for a free initial consultation.

print