Missouri Nursing Home Resident Injured When Man Crashes Car Into Facility
Dennis Long, 51, was banned several weeks ago from visiting his 84 year old mother, Catherine Long, at St. Sophia Health and Rehabilitation Center in Florissant for exhibiting "bizarre behavior". He came back to the facility Friday morning in an effort to see his mother and was turned away. Angry, Long then took matters into his own hands. At approximately 6:40 a.m., Long deliberately crashed his car into the front door of the nursing home, ending up in the lobby. The car caught fire, critically injuring Long, who is now listed in critical condition at St. John's Mercy Medical Center. The incident also injured one resident of the nursing home. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Approximately 180 residents of the facility were evacuated, some of whom were wheeled onto the parking lot in their beds while facility staff waited for the fire department to arrive.
Long's family members are not surprised by his actions. Allegedly, he has been violent many times before and several family members sought a restraining order against him. His threats were so "unnerving" that other nursing homes would not accept his mother as a patient. He threatened the homes in order to get access to see his mother, to whom he was physically and verbally abusive.
