Nursing home abuse does not just happen to seniors
Nov 14, 2012
Little Rock, AR (Law Firm Newswire) November 13, 2012 – When people think of nursing homes, they think of older people, not young adults. This case is shocking.
“It takes all kinds to make a world,” remarked Mike Smith, an Arkansas injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas. “And there are times you just struggle with believing what horrific things people do to others. This case is a prime example of a morally bankrupt individual who preyed on a disabled woman in a nursing home.”
The case began when a 21-year-old disabled resident in a nursing home/rehabilitation center, told staff a man had entered her room and molested her. Her roommate did confirm a man had been in the room, but she could not see what was going on, as he drew the privacy curtains.
When police arrived, they subsequently tracked down a 42-year-old male, who indicated he had visited the nursing home that day, had heard the young woman call out for help, and he went to her aid, and called a nurse for her. “He ‘aided’ her by raping her,” stated Smith. Police gathered DNA from the man and had a sexual assault exam performed. The DNA and rape kit evidence matched. “The man was charged with a fourth degree felony: gross sexual imposition.”
Further investigation indicated the man had been visiting the nursing home at the time of the incident, and that the home banned him in the wake of this despicable transgression. The young woman was moved into a more supervised area. “Sexual assaults, with the majority of the victims being female, are more common than you would think, and often, they involve family members or visitors. How are these assaults possible? They happen because patients don’t have as much supervision as they should,” said Smith.
The National Center on Elder Abuse reveals some startling statistics on abuse in nursing homes, and other types of care facilities, by reporting there were roughly 5.9 million cases in 2010. Fifty-eight percent were cases relating to neglect, and 0.04 percent involved the sexual assault of female victims.
Learn more by contacting Arkansas personal injury lawyer Mike Smith at http://www.arkansaslawhelp.com.
Mike Smith
425 W. Capitol Av., Suite 3700
Little Rock, AR 72201
Call: 501.519.4357
