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A Florida court has charged four workers at a nursing home for the death of nine elderly residents. The deaths occurred in the wake of the Hurricane Irma. The hurricane apparently knocked out the power supply of the nursing home which led to the deaths of a total of 12 persons.
The deaths happened back in 2017 when Hurricane Irma hit South Florida. Power outage at the nursing home created intense heat and suffocation inside the facility. This directly led to the death of 12 people. Some of the deceased elderly residents had their body temperature as high as 109 degrees at the time of their death.
State prosecutors have now charged four workers of the nursing home with nine counts of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person. This comes after an extensive investigation into the deaths of the unfortunate individuals. Although all 12 deaths are believed to have been caused by the negligence of the workers, the prosecutors could find sufficient evidence related to only 9 deaths to charge the defendants.
The four workers charged with negligence, in this case, include the chief administrator of the nursing home, Jorge Carballo, the supervisor, as well as two nurses. The two nurses are facing additional charges of tampering with evidence. According to the prosecutors, the nurses took false notes regarding the conditions of the patients.
Aggravated manslaughter is a very serious criminal offense in the state of Florida. As per Florida laws, the punishment for the crime is up to 30 years in prison. Tampering with the evidence is also a serious crime that carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. If the workers are sentenced for multiple crimes, it is possible that the prison sentences would run concurrently, as if often the case. If you or a loved one is involved in a case of this nature, contact our Orlando wrongful death attorneys today.
