We usually rely on doctors and nurses when we go to hospital for some reason, but that was not the case in the death of this elderly man after he was taken to doctor for examination but later forgotten in the vehicle for almost a whole day while the temperatures outside reached three-digit degrees.
What is even more alarming in the whole case is the fact that the nurse who forgot the 90-year-old Alzheimer patient in the van didn’t even realize what she did until his wife came to visit him in the Arizona based nursing home one day later and he was missing.
The 90-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer who was identified as Lawrence B., a former marine, was taken to visit the doctor and later transferred back to the nursing home. Reportedly, the nursing staff got out of the van to help other people get safely to the nursing facility, but they forgot Lawrence in the vehicle locked and never went back after him.
According to police, the former marine spent more than 20 hours locked and alone in the vehicle while the temperatures in Arizona were going above the 100F mark that day.
The employee who was responsible for the transfer of the patients that day was reportedly fired from the nursing home immediately after the management learned about the incident. Worker’s identity was not revealed by the nursing facility nor the police.
The nursing home apologized to the family in an official statement.
‘Canyon Winds was shocked and appalled to learn of this tragedy,’ the facility said in a statement to Law & Crime. ‘This incident will not be forgotten. We sincerely apologize to the family and friends of Mr. Lawrence, and while we know there is no way to rectify this situation, we hope that we can find a way to help alleviate their pain moving forward.’
Lawrence’s family relatives are devastated by the incident. They were all left in tears, heartbroken as soon as they received the information that their father and grandfather passed away in such a bizarre way.
“My father told me that Grampy passed away, and it’s immediately sad. But then, it gets worse. They didn’t realize he was missing until my grandma showed up to visit him. This is horrific, and it shouldn’t have happened,” Lawrence’s granddaughter Kylie said.
The elderly man was taken to the nursing home last year and he has been staying there for more than a year before he died. According to the health reports, he was suffering from advanced Alzheimer.
The whole case is under investigation from both the local police department and Arizona’s health department. According to police, they are still collecting all the evidence including video-surveillance footage from the facility, documents related to the patient and questioning witnesses. As of now, no one was arrested and/or charged in regards of the incident.
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