Seabridge Bathing's Blog » Scalding injuries

Elderly woman dies after falling into scalding hot bath

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:17:25 +0000

By Alan O’Keeffe, Wednesday August 31 2011

An elderly woman unable to get out of a very hot bath died from severe burns.

Evelyn Attwell (78) was trapped in the scalding bath at her home in Dublin as her daughter desperately tried to break down the locked bathroom door.

“I’m stuck. The water’s too hot,” she called to her daughter Vivienne Thompson, who tried to rescue her.

Mrs Attwell, who had seven daughters, died a week later at the National Burns Unit at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

A post-mortem found she died of multi-organ failure due to “thermal burns as a result of partial immersion in hot bath water” at her home in Brookwood Rise, Artane.

Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell delivered a verdict of accidental death. Extending his sympathy to her family following the “very tragic occurrence”, Dr Farrell said it appeared she must have slipped into the bath.

In a statement to the coroner’s court, Ms Thompson said her mother appeared to be suffering from early-onset dementia and was scheduled to undergo a medical scan for the condition the day after the accident happened.

Ms Thompson visited her mother on the afternoon of October 25 last year and brought her dinner. Mrs Attwell was preparing for the hospital visit and went upstairs for a bath. After 10 or 15 minutes, Ms Thompson heard her mother calling her. She went upstairs and heard her mother calling through the locked door.

Ms Thompson said she tried to force the door open but it was a new door and she couldn’t get it open. She sent her daughter for help and called the fire brigade.

Her mother was “still talking” to her for a few minutes before falling unconscious. When the fire brigade arrived and broke in the door, she was found lying widthways in the bath with her legs out. The paramedics revived her and she became “fully alert”. She spoke with her daughter on the ambulance trip to Beaumont Hospital.

Mrs Attwell was transferred two hours later to St James’s Hospital burns unit, where she died on November 2.

Family members told the coroner in court that Mrs Attwell used to complain of feeling “a little bit dizzy” from time to time. The family were concerned that she had been declining cognitively over the previous eight months.

The family did not know how the bath water became too hot. The coroner said she must not have put any cold water into the bath and she may have slipped into the bath while preparing it.

hnews@herald.ie

94-year-old man dies after falling into empty bathtub and hitting hot water tap

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:28:33 +0000

Willard Wilson began his morning like any other, making his way to his bathroom for a shave in a senior’s residence in Pierrefonds, near Montreal in Quebec, Canada.

While he was getting ready to shave, the 94-year-old man lost his balance and fell into his empty bathtub.

Trying to pull himself out of the tub, he grabbed the hot water tap and accidentally turned it on.

Within seconds, hot water had scalded Wilson’s legs, buttocks, scrotum and heels.

Unable to get out of the bath, it was at least 10 minutes before he was found by staff.

Wilson died six days later at Hotel Dieu Hospital from second-degree burn complications.

Seabridge installs optional thermostatic mixing valves in its walk-in bathtubs. No matter what the water heater temperature is, water temperature coming from the tap is capped to prevent scalding.

Read the entire story at http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Scalding+deaths+residence/3732049/story.html#ixzz13mwbaTpF

Elderly resident scalded with 1st degree burns

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:23:48 +0000

There was no thermo-static mixing valve!

A company which runs a nursing home in Essex has today been fined after an elderly man was lowered into a bath filled with water possibly as hot as 72°C.

Michael Ginn (72) was living at West House Nursing Home in St Vincent’s Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend, when he suffered first degree burns to his feet on 5 May 2009.

Mr Ginn, who is unable to walk, was being bathed by two care assistants. He was lowered into the bath using a hoist but immediately began to cry out that the water was too hot. Despite being quickly raised out of the bath and having his feet immersed in cold water, Mr Ginn suffered first degree burns to both feet and was kept overnight at Southend Hospital.

Rootcroft Ltd, of 71 Sunnyfield, Mill Hill, London, which runs the nursing home, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court today and admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £5,989 in costs. The company was also ordered to pay the victim £500 in compensation.

Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found no thermostatic mixing valve was fitted to the water supply to prevent the temperature exceeding 44°C. The bath was supplied with hot water from one of two tanks where the water was stored at 67°C and 72°C when checked by inspectors.

Continue reading Elderly resident scalded with 1st degree burns

Care worker sentenced in death of client who he put in hot bath

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:48:32 +0000

A British Columbia home-care worker who put a client in a scalding hot bath and failed to get the man medical attention has been sentenced to three years in prison for the client’s eventual death.

Raymond Brent Storie was convicted of criminal negligence causing the death of Wayne Walters, who had cerebral palsy and cognitive defects.
Storie was caring for Walters, 43, in Prince George when he gave Walters a routine bath on Sept. 11, 2005.

The water was so hot it gave Walters blisters, but Storie didn’t report the injuries until another care worker arrived to take over several hours later.
Walters was taken to hospital and flown to a burn unit in Vancouver. He remained in hospital until he died five months later.

Continue reading ”Care worker sentenced in death of client who he put in hot bath“…

Elderly, children under the age of 5 at greatest risk for severe scald injuries

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:22:19 +0000

Emil Malaniak, a resident in a senior living facility, was showering when the warm water suddenly spiked to a scalding temperature.

Unable to manipulate the shower valve, he attempted to shield himself with the shower curtain. But within seconds, he received second- and third- degree burns over his legs and feet, and later died from his injuries.

The Trauma Burn Center at the University of Michigan recommends that anti-scald mechanical devices such as thermostatic mixing valves be installed near the water heater to mix the hot and the cold water to deliver it at the safer temperature of 120 F.