Elderly non-verbal man, 94, dies after his skin MELTED OFF when he was left in West Virginia hospital’s scalding 134F whirlpool for nearly an HOUR – as four nurses are fired

A 94-year-old man was boiled to death in a hospital hot tub after staff failed to make a “$250 repair” and left him in 134-degree water for 47 minutes.

Four nurses at Hopemont State Hospital in Terra Alta, located in Preston County, West Virginia, have been fired following the January incident.

Disability Rights West Virginia Legal Director Mike Folio, who investigated the death, told West Virginia Watch: ‘Even though he screamed in pain, he couldn’t be heard. His skin melted away.”

The man, who died from the scalding hot water, was non-verbal.

Folio claims that hospital staff knew about a broken thermostat a month before the death, but made no effort to repair it. He told MetroNews, “This gentleman lost his life because someone didn’t take action and make a $250 repair.”

The man, who has not been named, had dementia and required 24-hour care but was left unattended in the bath for almost an hour.

Mike Folio investigated the man’s death and said it was the most “egregious” case he had ever seen

The man was a long-term patient at the Hopemont Hospital state nursing home.

He was placed in the tub by staff and left there for 47 minutes, in water that reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the standard maximum temperature of 100 degrees.

Folio said: ‘Imagine someone who is elderly, non-verbal and has dementia, being left unattended in boiling hot water.

“Even when he screamed in pain, he couldn’t be heard because he was non-verbal.”

After his death, the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities said there was an “equipment malfunction.”

A spokesperson said: ‘A thermostat on a water tank serving one residential unit has failed, leading to unsafe water temperatures. One resident of the institution was subsequently treated for burns.’

They added: ‘As a precaution, patients are being taken to other units to bathe while staff repair the problem. This is an isolated incident and no other patients are at risk.”

But Folio claims the man’s death was preventable because staff had known about the broken thermostat for a month.

He told KDKA-TV, “About 30 days prior to this episode, one of the RNs at Hopemont sent an internal email advising staff about hot water concerns and specifically said there is a concern that patients could get burned.”

Despite knowing there was a risk, he said they made no effort to make the “$250 repair.”

Four nurses at the hospital were fired after his death; three of them were contract nurses

Folio claims the man’s death was preventable because staff had known about the broken thermostat for a month

Since the death, four nurses – including three contract workers – have been fired.

Folio said: ‘This is truly the most egregious case I have ever seen.’

Annie Moore, spokesperson for the state Department of Health Services, told West Virginia Watch: ‘The Hopemont Hospital board and DHF have taken steps to prevent future occurrences, including providing staff training on monitoring water temperatures before and during resident bathing and making repairs and upgrades to the facility’s hot water system.

A spokesperson for the Preston County Sheriff’s Department told the station their investigation is ongoing and they could not release any information.

Matthew Keefer, deputy commissioner of the DHF, told West Virginia Watch, “Keeping residents safe is our number one priority.

“Every time a resident is injured in our care, we must exhaust all resources and conduct full investigations to ensure this does not happen again.”