Alzheimer's Patient Killed by Train
George King, Sr. was a resident of Heartland of Charleston Nursing Home in Charleston, West Virginia. Mr. King, 73, as an Alzheimer's patient suffering from dementia and required assistance daily. He was reported missing on October 25, 2008. Police found his body on October 26, 2008 near train tracks. He had been hit and killed by a CSX train.
His family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that Heartland of Charleston failed to properly monitor Mr. King. The suit alleges that "George King Sr. could not care for himself or be allowed to walk outside the facility and the staff of the facility at Heartland of Charleston was aware of this fact". The suit also alleges that facility workers failed to follow protocols for missing residents, failed to adequately supervise Mr. King, searched for him in the wrong area (because he was confused with another resident who had left the facility on a prior date), and and failed to utilize all available resources to locate him.
