Ohio Community Remembers Tragic Nursing Home Fire From 50 Years Ago
While people were remembering the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy last month, the Associated Press had an interesting story about a nursing home fire in Ohio that occurred on the same day that was overshadowed by the assassination.
JFK’s death overshadowed horrific nursing-home fire in Ohio, a story done by the AP, discussed a tragic fire in the hours after the assassination of Kennedy at the Golden Age Nursing Home in Fitchville, Ohio that killed 63 people in one of the worst healthcare fires in U.S. history.
“Many victims had been restrained to their beds or trapped behind wheelchairs that were too wide for the exits,” the AP reported. “Investigators later blamed faulty wiring and found that the nursing home didn’t have an evacuation plan.”
According to the AP, the fire began at 5 a.m., in the attic of the one-story facility, burning through phone lines before anyone could report what was happening. “By the time firefighters arrived 10 minutes later, the building was burning from one end to the other,” the AP reported.
Wheelchairs reportedly blocked exits and victims trampled each other trying to get to the building’s exits. Investigators determined that a large loss of life was due to the lack of a fire evacuation plan at the facility.
After the fire, Ohio legislators established regulations that required sprinklers, fire exits and extinguishers while also giving the state more authority over nursing homes, according to the AP. Additionally, Congress set safety codes nationally that went into effect during the 1970s about construction and fire safety.
Locate a Rockland County Nursing Home Lawyer
This fire serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of fire safety plans and adequate sprinkler systems in nursing homes. Aside from death, fires can cause severe burns and serious personal injuries to a resident’s lungs.
If you have a loved one that has been injured because of nursing home abuse or negligence, contact our firmfor a free consultation. We have obtained multi-million settlements and verdicts for our clients.
JFK’s death overshadowed horrific nursing-home fire in Ohio, a story done by the AP, discussed a tragic fire in the hours after the assassination of Kennedy at the Golden Age Nursing Home in Fitchville, Ohio that killed 63 people in one of the worst healthcare fires in U.S. history.
“Many victims had been restrained to their beds or trapped behind wheelchairs that were too wide for the exits,” the AP reported. “Investigators later blamed faulty wiring and found that the nursing home didn’t have an evacuation plan.”
According to the AP, the fire began at 5 a.m., in the attic of the one-story facility, burning through phone lines before anyone could report what was happening. “By the time firefighters arrived 10 minutes later, the building was burning from one end to the other,” the AP reported.
Wheelchairs reportedly blocked exits and victims trampled each other trying to get to the building’s exits. Investigators determined that a large loss of life was due to the lack of a fire evacuation plan at the facility.
After the fire, Ohio legislators established regulations that required sprinklers, fire exits and extinguishers while also giving the state more authority over nursing homes, according to the AP. Additionally, Congress set safety codes nationally that went into effect during the 1970s about construction and fire safety.
Locate a Rockland County Nursing Home Lawyer
This fire serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of fire safety plans and adequate sprinkler systems in nursing homes. Aside from death, fires can cause severe burns and serious personal injuries to a resident’s lungs.
If you have a loved one that has been injured because of nursing home abuse or negligence, contact our firmfor a free consultation. We have obtained multi-million settlements and verdicts for our clients.
Adams Law Firm, P.C. – Rockland County Nursing Home Attorneys
Source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/25/jfks-death-overshadowed-nursing-home-fire.html 