A 97-year-old woman froze to death outside an assisted living center in Colorado after she wandered around at night.
The heartbroken family of Mary Jo Staub has since filed a lawsuit and putting the blame on the center’s door.
Surveillance cameras reportedly captured the moment the elderly woman managed to walk outside the Balfour facility during freezing weather.
She was only wearing her pajamas, gloves, boots and robe when she was suddenly locked out.
According to reports, she was seen walking through the snow with her walker before her ankle was injured.
She then crawled on her hands and knees, trying to reach the door as she left a trail of blood. She could be seen banging on the doors until she collapsed an hour later.
The lawsuit claimed that it had taken over five hours before an employee at the facility noticed that she was outside.
An autopsy results revealed that Staub had died from hypothermia.
“No one at Lavender Farms was monitoring the security cameras that night… not a single Balfour employee noticed Staub was locked out of the facility… not a single Balfour employee was present to help Mary Jo in any way,” the suit said, according to CBS News.
The complaint also claims that Balfour employees lied to police to “avoid criminal charges” and details numerous allegations including negligence, felonious killing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In a statement, the Staub’s family attorney, Elizabeth Hart, said: “Assisted living facilities are supposed to provide protective oversight for our elderly loved ones. The Staub family wants to ensure this doesn’t happen to any other member of this vulnerable population.”
Because of her age, Staub had been experiencing memory loss, confusion, and depression.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment carried out an inspection and noted a series of violations.
“As soon as we were notified, we sent experts to the facility to investigate what occurred and ensure the safety of other residents,” said Elaine McManis of Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Where we found deficiencies, we required the facility to quickly make changes, and closely monitored the facility until it completed all corrective actions.”
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