California Nursing Home Resident Chokes to Death, Facility Fined
Tustin Care Center, a nursing home located in Tustin, California, was fined $50,000 for the March 2009 choking death of one of its residents.
The male resident was eating soup with rice when he called for his wife, also a facility resident. The man, struggling to breathe, was given the Heimlich maneuver by a nurse, but the food could not be dislodged. The man died later that day at the hospital. An autopsy revealed that food completed blocked the man's trachea.
A state investigative report found that the nursing home failed to assess the man's ability to eat, which was the direct cause of his death. Additionally, the report noted that facility staff noticed the man growing weaker but did not intervene and assist him with his meals.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home wrongful death. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
