West Virginia care facility staff members charged in death of patient left in scalding hot bathtub
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two staff members at a long-term care facility in northern West Virginia have been charged in the death of a patient left in a scalding hot bathtub a year ago, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday.
Registered nurse Delilah Clyburn-Hill and certified nursing assistant Kylah Beard were charged with neglect of a disabled adult by a caregiver, Morrisey said in a news release.
Larry Hedrick, 61, a nonverbal patient who required 24-hour care, was immersed in 134-degree Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) water for 47 minutes on January 4, 2024, at Hopemont Hospital, a facility with 98 beds in the Preston County community of Terra Alta. Hedrick died a week later at a hospital in Pittsburgh, the statement said.
An investigation by Morrisey’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit found that Beard helped Hedrick into the tub but was unable to check the water temperature gauge. Hedrick suffered second- and third-degree burns and blisters on his feet and legs.
Investigators said Clyburn-Hill was informed of the burns and blisters, but she allegedly failed to implement proper treatment and therapy for Hedrick’s injuries, “including but not limited to the use of pain medication ” the statement said.
It was not immediately known whether Clyburn-Hill or Beard had attorneys who could comment on the charges. A message left at a listed phone number for Clyburn-Hill was not immediately returned Wednesday. Baard was not immediately available for comment. No working phone number could be found for her.
Preston County Prosecutor Jay Shay approved the criminal charges. Clyburn-Hill and Beard will make their first appearance in Preston County Magistrate Court on January 29.
Morrisey, who will be sworn in as governor next week, called it a “deeply disturbing case” and said: “There must be accountability for the horrific death of the victim, Mr. Larry Hedrick, who was allegedly under the care of medical professionals. ”