Attorney Blasts San Mateo Facility Over 93-Year-Old's Fatal Poisoning

BY OLIVIA WYNKOOP

SAN MATEO, CA — A nursing home in San Mateo claims three residents were mistakenly served dishwashing liquid as juice on Saturday morning, resulting in the death of a 93-year-old woman.

According to the Atria Park, employees of their assisted living facility on S. Norfolk Street called first responders at around 8:30 a.m. after residents ingested toxic chemicals. All three residents were transported to a local hospital, one of which was later pronounced dead.

Atria Park issued a statement saying they are conducting an internal investigation, and all employees involved have been suspended.

"We will continue working with the police and Department of Social Services to fully review and assess the incident, after which we will take additional actions as needed.

The safety and well-being of our residents remain our top priorities at all times," said the care facility in a statement.

Niall McCarthy, an elder abuse attorney of 30 years in San Mateo County who is not involved in the case, said he's seen repeated, egregious cases of elder abuse in San Mateo County specifically, mostly stemming from understaffing and facilities' inability to properly train staff.

"There's no conceivable way that dishwashing liquid should make its way to a beverage glass. That's a violation of every basic principle of nursing home care. The most basic principle is you're there to protect the safety and well-being of the patient," McCarthy said.

Whether criminally negligent or not, McCarthy said the company still has responsibility for the actions of its employees, and can't just fix the issue by firing people involved.

Should the Department of Social Services fine this home, any potential families considering sending loved ones to the facility could see what happened on public record. McCarthy said the facility should receive a public penalty, initiate massive policy changes and provide monetary compensation to the families involved.

"You can investigate as long as you want, but there is no set of circumstances where what happened here was forgivable. It was a complete and total violation of the obligations of the nursing home," McCarthy said.

The San Mateo County's Coroner Office said they could not confirm the identity of the woman as of Tuesday afternoon.

The San Mateo Police Department said the case is still open, and that Atria Hillsdale has been cooperating with the investigation.

Witnesses with any additional information are encouraged to contact Sergeant Detective Paul Pak at (650) 522-7660 or pak@cityofsanmateo.org. Anonymous tips can be submitted at (650) 522-7676.

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