A Sacramento County California jury awarded $110 million to the family of a woman who died of hypothermia after she wandered outside the Greenhaven Estates in Sacramento, an assisted living facility, where she had been a resident for more than five years because she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Mildred Hernandez left the assisted living facility unnoticed on February 12, 2019 and was subsequently found unresponsive outside in 38 degree weather. The family’s wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the assisted living facility failed to provide adequate supervision and safety measures to avoid elopement from the facility.
A statement from the family after the jury returned its verdict in the amount of $110 million against an asset manager and the owner of the assisted living facility stated: “Our mother deserved to live out her final years with dignity, safety, and compassion. Instead, she died alone in the cold because Greenhaven Estates and its corporate overseers failed to provide the most basic protection they promised. While no verdict can bring our mother back, we hope this outcome will prevent other families from suffering the same heartbreak and force these companies to prioritize the well-being of the vulnerable seniors entrusted to their care. We are grateful to our attorneys for their tireless dedication and to the jury for recognizing that what happened to our mother was wrong and preventable.”
About Greenhaven Estates
“Greenhaven Estates Assisted Living is an assisted living and memory care community in Sacramento, California … Residents at Greenhaven Estates Assisted Living receive highly personalized care services that help them live independent lives while receiving the care services they need to prosper in retirement. We also have a neighborhood designed to meet the unique needs of people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Our well-trained staff employs a Montessori-based approach to care that creates a supportive environment that encourages independence and choice.”
“Greenhaven Estates includes a specially designed neighborhood to serve the special needs of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other forms of memory loss. Every day we make it a goal to go above and beyond to enrich the lives of our residents. With our Pathways program, a Montessori-based philosophy for care, we create a specialized, life-enriching environment that affords each individual maximum self-expression.”
Costs for Greenhaven Estates Assisted Living start at $2,995 per month, which includes certain standard amenities and services but the final cost may vary according to care needs and accommodation type.
If you or a loved one suffered harm while a resident of an assisted living facility in California or in another U.S. state due to understaffing, neglect, negligence, or the failure to provide appropriate care for a vulnerable adult, you should promptly find an assisted living claim lawyer in California or in your state who may investigate your assisted living facility claim for you and file an assisted living claim on your behalf or behalf of your loved one, if appropriate.
Visit our website to be connected with medical malpractice attorneys (assisted living injury attorneys) in your U.S. state who may assist you with your assisted living claim, or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959.
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