Verne Gagne founded the American Wrestling Association in the 1960’s and was champion of the league for many years in the late 60’s and 70’s. Back then, he was body-slamming other men who were equally matched physically and were anticipating the move. No one would have questioned his motives or intentions.
Today, the 82-year-old ex-professional wrestler suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a nursing home in Minnesota. While he does not possess the physical prowess of his heyday, he is still a force to be reckoned with by nursing home standards. Combine this with diminished mental capacity and you have a potential tragedy in the making.
Gagne recently body-slammed a 97-year-old resident living in his nursing home. The resident broke his hip in the incident and died three weeks later.
Nursing home staff and police investigators are uncertain what caused Gagne to lash out at a fellow resident. Considering his mental capacity, he could easily have believed he was back in the ring.
However, this was not Gagne’s first violent episode at the nursing home. In a prior incident, Gagne put a choke hold on the same resident he accidentally killed with his body-slam. Based on this history of violence and his imposing physical stature by nursing home standards, the staff should have taken greater precautions to ensure the safety of the other residents.
By failing to properly monitor Gagne’s behavior, the staff inadvertently caused the death of a resident. It is difficult to blame Gagne for his actions. He suffers from a condition that inhibits proper mental functioning. Most likely, he was not fully aware of what he was doing. However, it is reasonable to expect that the nursing home staff would take extra precautions to ensure that a former professional wrestler with Alzheimer’s does not accidentally injure another resident. This negligence on the part of the staff makes them guilty of nursing home neglect.
When we place our loved ones in a nursing home, we trust that the staff will take proper care of our family members. When staff members violate this trust, they must be held accountable for their actions. It is important to consult an experienced nursing home abuse attorney when you have a family member who has been intentionally or unintentionally mistreated while living at a nursing home. Your loved one may be eligible to receive compensation for his or her damages.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse and neglect in the Phoenix, Arizona area, please contact the Law Offices of Snyder & Wenner, P.C. today to schedule a consultation.
