Blair House Senior Living Community, Macon
Local News
An elderly resident of the Blair House Senior Living Community in Macon was reportedly assaulted by a staff member on Sunday evening, September 28, 2014.
According to The Macon Telegraph, a 34-year-old Blair House supervisor allegedly used a master key to access a female resident’s room at the Arlington Place facility. The supervisor apparently trapped the elderly resident between her bedroom and bathroom and sexually assaulted her.
Per media reports, the alleged suspect has since been taken into police custody and charged with sexual assault, aggravated sodomy and burglary.
In a media statement, a Blair House operations manager announced, “We are happy our resident is OK and safe. It’s a police matter, and out of respect and sensitivity for the residents we will not be issuing any further statement.”
The facility was reportedly cited in 2011 and 2012 for various violations, including improper staff training, staff failure to complete health screenings and failure to report resident deaths within 24 hours.
Our Legal Take
The Murray Law Firm works tirelessly to protect victims of nursing home abuse and negligence. While the firm is relieved to learn the alleged assailant is in police custody, they are questioning whether another party may also hold responsibility in this unconscionable assault: Blair House Senior Living Community.
The facility has apparently been cited for failing to complete employee health screenings and proper training in the past. Did the facility also fail in their duty to perform a proper criminal screening and background check on the alleged assailant? How frequently are criminal checks performed on staff, particularly those with access to private resident rooms?
The assailant reportedly entered the victim’s room by using a master key. How many employees are in possession of a master key allowing unsupervised access to residents in their locked, private rooms? What procedures are in place to monitor and track employee access to and use of this key? Do employees need to provide a reason, such as a medical emergency, to sign-out the master key? How did these procedures fail at the time of the sexual assault? Was the victim and her family aware that male employees had access to her private, locked room?
Where was the other Blair House staff during this assault? Did hallway surveillance cameras capture the assailant entering the victim’s room and, if so, who was monitoring these cameras?
As the details of this assault continue to emerge, the victim and her family may elect to hold the owner and management of Blair House Senior Living Community civilly liable for her sexual assault. Under Georgia law, property owners have a duty to protect residents from any foreseeable harm. This duty is paramount when serving disabled or senior residents who may not be able to protect themselves.
Should the owner and management of Blair House have failed in their duty to protect the victim of this attack, they may be held civilly liable for her injuries and suffering. Claims of this magnitude, potentially in the millions of dollars, will, most importantly, demand the facility reevaluate security measures, including staff screening and access to resident rooms. Perhaps, through such claims, many others may be spared such unconscionable abuse.
The victim and her family should retain an experienced premises liability firm without delay to ensure all evidence, such as surveillance footage, is preserved and their best interests are protected.
The Murray Law Firm has extensive experience in protecting victims of nursing home abuse and negligence and we offer our legal expertise, if needed. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us at 478.246.1010. Consultations are free and confidential.
