Nurse forgets woman (83) on toilet, elderly person dies

genk - A woman (40) was Wednesday in the court to account for the death of an 83-year-old elderly in nursing home Toermalien in the Belgian Genk. The nurse had placed the woman on the toilet in the evening, but then forgot to put her in bed. The stuck elderly person of Turkish origin fell over and died of suffocation.

Only the next morning she was found. The nurse from Bree risks a one-year conditional prison sentence for 'negligence'. This reports Het Belang van Limburg.

The facts took place on June 28, 2014. After dinner, the nurse, who together with two colleagues had to take care of thirty people, put all the residents in bed. The victim first put them on the toilet with the aid of a lift. Then she provided the necessary help in a neighboring resident.

'Because of an extraordinary combination of circumstances, she forgot the 83-year-old woman. It is a very sad situation. You can compare it with parents who forget their child in a much too hot car, 'said her lawyer Jos Lenaerts.

The severely accused suspect could not express her sympathy enough. 'I very much regret this. I have just become a nurse to help people, 'she sobbed in court. The woman is still working at the nursing home. 'It is a dutiful, valued nurse who achieves good evaluations', it said.

The prosecutor's office spoke of a particularly unfortunate case and pointed to the blank criminal record and the guilt of the woman. 'I'm not going to ask an effective prison sentence, but a year conditionally. 'After the elderly woman died, the residential care center took various measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

The victim's family also had a horrible case because of attorney Flavia Lubandy. 'Not only for 83-year-old woman, but also for the nurse. We do not want to level her down. 'Lubandy asked for a total compensation of 28,500 euros for the children and grandchildren of the deceased woman. Judgment is on January 31.