an Dies While Smoking 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
From Dmregister.com:
Fire engulfs man smoking in wheelchair
By TOM ALEX
Register Staff Writer
07/24/2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A partially paralyzed resident of a Des Moines nursing home burned to death Tuesday when flames erupted as he smoked a cigarette in his wheelchair on the facility's patio.
Fire officials say an oxygen canister mounted on the rear of George R. Baker Jr.'s wheelchair might have caught fire. Fire officials and state nursing-home regulators said they would investigate the incident at CLC University, 233 University Ave.
State regulators have cited the nursing home several times this year for improper care and cleanliness problems.
Rescue workers said Baker, 54, was on fire for an undetermined amount of time before someone inside noticed the flames and grabbed an extinguisher.
Clark Allen, 44, of Minneapolis said he was walking by CLC University when "I looked over and saw a ball of black smoke."
"I went closer and saw a man in a wheelchair. He wasn't moving," Allen said. "I said, 'Hey, this man is burning!' Flames were shooting off his back."
Allen, who is staying at the Bethel Mission in Des Moines, said he ran to the building and tried to alert employees. "They ran outside, and they were yelling things like, 'Oh, God!' Someone got a fire extinguisher and started putting him out," he said.
Fire officials said an alarm triggered by sensors at the care center alerted them to a problem. Someone from the center called in an alarm a few minutes later, officials said.
Fire Investigator Brad Fousek said Baker, who suffered from lung disease and the effects of a spinal injury, apparently had gone outside to have a cigarette shortly before 10 a.m.
"On the machine on the back of the wheelchair, it said, "No smoking," " Fousek said.
The tank had an apparatus attached that allowed Baker to breathe from it. A cigarette lighter was found near the body, investigators said. Officials could not immediately determine whether the oxygen equipment was turned on when the flames broke out, Interim Assistant Fire Chief Dan Sanders said.
David Werning, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, said nursing home inspectors planned to be at CLC University this morning.
"We wanted to wait for the police to conduct their investigation," he said.
CLC includes a 108-bed nursing home and the 27-unit Arbor Heights assisted-living center.
A fence with vertical bars surrounds the patio area. Firefighters tossed tarpaulins over the fence to block the view of passers-by.
A written statement issued by CLC University officials said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and . . . extend our most sincere sympathies to the resident's family and friends.
"We will cooperate to the fullest extent with this investigation."
Officials said Baker had lived at the care center for about two years.
Linda Bell, Baker's niece, said her uncle was a former tree trimmer who was paralyzed from the waist down about 15 years ago when he fell on the job and suffered a broken neck. He had suffered from stroke-like symptoms since the injury, as well as lung disease that required the use of oxygen, she said.
Baker is survived by two sons and four grandchildren, she said.
"Obviously, we're upset," Bell said. An autopsy was planned for today.
- Clark Allen, who found George R. Baker Jr.
An oxygen canister may have been a factor in George R. Baker Jr.'s death at a care center.
Submitted on 07/24/2002
Submitted by:
Jack Kuhns
Reference:
Des Moines Register 07-24-2002
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
|
