After a patient was found inside a walk-in freezer at a St. George, Utah senior facility and later died due to injuries sustained in the incident, the state put the assisted living facility on conditional license status and her son is planning to sue over the tragic situation. The walk-in freezer death of the 75-year-old dementia patient is a stark reminder that injuries or wrongful death incidents involving these freezers are possible, usually due to a lack of oversight or a lapse in safety protocols to protect people who may find themselves inside one of these appliances.
Walk-in Freezer Death in Utah: What Happened?
According to a report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, 75-year-old Rickie Rubick was found by staff inside a kitchen freezer of The Meadows at Escalante assisted care facility in St. George, Utah on January 18, St. George News reported. Her family reported that when she was found, her body temperature was just 79 degrees. Sadly, Rickie died four days later at St. George Regional Hospital.
When she was brought to an emergency room, Rickie’s hands and feet were “frozen, blistered, and peeling,” Inside Edition reported. Her son told the outlet, “You trust these facilities…This is where you put your parents.”
But clearly, something went wrong when his mother was able to get into a walk-in freezer while under the facility’s care. Now, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services has placed The Meadows on a conditional license through June 30, and the facility is at risk of losing its license.
It is unclear how Rickie was able to access the facility’s kitchen through unlocked doors and ultimately become trapped in a commercial kitchen freezer. But a report from the state department noted that The Meadows was found in violation of eight health department rules and attorney Brian Hansen, who is representing Tony Rubick, called the situation “a system failure.”
‘She Went Through the Wringer’
Rickie was admitted to the facility just 10 weeks prior to her tragic death, according to Inside Edition. After she was trapped in the kitchen freezer, frostbite and hypothermia set in, and Rickie sadly succumbed to her injuries within days.
Hansen told St. George News of the horrifying incident, “When they found that she was missing, they started looking in other rooms and even made comments to the police that they noticed that the kitchen was unlocked, which was unusual and against their policy.”
“But they didn’t go look in the kitchen, they just kept looking in rooms. Eventually, they go and look in the kitchen, don’t see her, and then they finally go look in the walk-in freezer and she’s on the ground, curled up in a ball that the body temperature, according to the hospital records when she got there, was 79 degrees.”
“She passed from all those issues, including cardiac arrest shock,” Hansen said. “She went through the wringer.”
Facility ‘Out of Compliance’ With State Regulations
According to a report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and KSL News, The Meadows at Escalante was “out of compliance” with several Utah regulations, including that an administrator remains on the premises “enough hours in the business day,” reviews “at least quarterly every injury, accident, and incident to a resident or employee and document appropriate corrective action,” notes any “significant change” in a resident’s condition and completes “an investigation when there was reason to believe a resident had been subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation.”
In a statement to KSL, a spokesman for the company that owns the facility, Integral Senior Living LLC, stated: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of our residents and our hearts go out to the family with our deepest sympathies. Our on-site and regional team members are saddened by this loss.”
“We politely ask that you respect the privacy and confidentiality of our resident and her family. Please know, our entire team remains 100% dedicated to the service and care of our community members. Thank you.”
‘This Cannot Happen to Somebody Again’
In the end, Rickie’s death was classified as a “death due to noncompliance” with regulations in the inspection report. The facility where she should’ve been protected was ordered to pay a $10,500 penalty and issued a citation.
“We know this wasn’t intentional, but there is negligence and recklessness,” Hansen told St. George News. “They have a duty to protect her and keep her safe. That’s job No. 1 in any type of facility like this.”
“And as part of that, they’ve got to properly trained, they’ve got to properly supervise. And we don’t think either of those things took place in this case.”
While criminal charges have not been filed in connection with her death, Rickie’s family is seeking legal action with Hansen’s help to get justice. “My absolute intent is this cannot happen to somebody again,” Tony told Inside Edition.
“It’s the hardest thing in the world to keep recounting this,” he said. “But she’d want me to make sure that the others are safe. She’d want me to do this.”
Call Phillips Law Group for Legal Help
What happened to Rickie Rubick is an absolute tragedy and our hearts go out to her loved ones during this difficult time. Unfortunately, a walk-in freezer death in a senior facility, restaurant, hotel, or other location is not unheard of, and Phillips Law Group knows that, while accidents happen, negligence in these cases should be brought to light and the families of victims of these incidents deserve justice.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to negligence or a safety violation involving a walk-in freezer, please don’t hesitate to call our firm for help. Our team of legal professionals will work with you to discuss your legal rights and to determine if you have a case that can be fought with the assistance of our compassionate but assertive attorneys.
Call Phillips Law Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more.
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