Nursing facility abuse is a real and a tragic thing. Just recently a story was released about a woman in a vegetative state giving birth to a baby boy on December 29, 2018 at a nursing facility called Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix, Arizona. The police are investigating the pregnancy as a sexual abuse case in the consideration that the woman is in a persistent vegetative state and has been for over ten years, as a result of a near-death drowning incident. Her condition is so severe that she completely is unable to communicate, which left her unable to defend herself as well as unable to communicate that she was pregnant or in pain.
According to a familiar source, “none of the staff knew she was pregnant until she was basically giving birth.” The woman was approached when staff heard her moaning in pain and they were unsure what was wrong. The source also mentioned that the female patient required around-the-clock care and many of the staff had 24/7 access to her in her room. Following this incident, protocol was changed at the Hacienda Healthcare facility.
Aside from the tragic abuse that took place and what this poor woman went through during the abuse, she was placed in a lot of danger in having to give birth while in a vegetative state and was at high risk for severe complications. The birthing could have easily gone wrong with someone in her state and the risks were high for fetal death, however sources say the baby is alive and healthy. Doctors are not entirely sure how much consciousness the woman has, although they speculate she was feeling the pain of the birth without being able to communicate it.
At this point not much more information has been given in terms of the investigation but all involved are quite hopeful for thorough investigation to find the perpetrator as usually these types of scenarios involve more than one victim. According to spokesperson, Tasha Menaker, from The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, it is not uncommon that the perpetrators have multiple victims. Menaker went on to explain that people who are living with disabilities are at 3 times the risk to be a victim of sexual violence than people who do not have disabilities.
Has your loved one been involved in a nursing facility neglect or abuse situation?
Similar situations of abuse like this in nursing facilities and nursing homes isn’t entirely uncommon. These types of cases can be extremely complicated and very expensive due to the cost of collecting and reviewing medical records and data. Our trusted and expert team of attorneys at Wormington and Bollinger specialize in helping those who are in said situations.
Maria Wormington has experience as a registered nurse as well as a nursing assistant in a nursing home and combines her skillful experience and background to help victims and their families with abuse and neglect claims. If you are seeking the help of a personal injury lawyer in Dallas, our team of highly recommended attorneys can help. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, contact us today.