Massachusetts Nursing Home Resident Dies, Her Daughter Seeks Justice
Helen Van Dale
Her death certificate lists "blunt head trauma" as her cause of death and its haunts her daughter. "When I think of her falling, I can't stand that. I don't care if she's 92 or 50, the age doesn't mean a thing. It's the life that means something," says Dottie Hammond. Dottie Hammond's ninety-two year old mother, Helen Van Dale, died after falling from a wheelchair at Silver Lake Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Residence in Kingston. Helen Van Dale had entered the facility five weeks earlier and reportedly declined due to an undiagnosed urinary tract infection that left her disorientated. According to her daughter, the disorientation led to Helen Van DaIe's fall from her wheelchair.
In Massachusetts, medical malpractice lawsuits must be heard by a tribunal prior to going to trial. In July 2009, the superior court medical tribunal ruled that there was enough evidence for the case to proceed through the system.
