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Teen Beats Elderly Roommate to Death at NJ Behavioral Health Facility

By Paul Napoli

February 14, 2010

An 18-year-old patient at a New Jersey behavioral health facility beat his elderly roommate to death on Thursday, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's office.

Centraljersey.com reports that Princeton Township Police responded to a call at Princeton House Behavioral Health about 11 p.m. Thursday evening, where they found patient James Dunlavy, 69, of Highland Park, beaten to death. Police have arrested Dunlavy's roommate, Michael Leal, of New Brunswick, on a charge of murder. He is currently held in the Mercer County Correction Center on $500,000 bail.

Princeton House Behavioral Health at 905 Herrontown Road is a unit of Princeton HealthCare System. The facility treats patients with mental illness, emotional difficulties and addiction.

'There was a tragic incident on Thursday night, February 11, 2010, in the locked Short Term Care Facility at Princeton House Behavioral Health (PHBH) that resulted in the death of one of our patients. We are saddened by this tragic incident and express our deepest sympathies to the families of those involved. We are fully cooperating with the police as they conduct an investigation,' said a statement by Princeton HealthCare System.

'This was an isolated incident. Our staff is continuing to provide treatment and support to our patients during this difficult time. We are also conducting an internal review of policies to ensure we are doing everything possible to maintain safety. Our patients' safety and wellbeing continues to be our first priority,' the statement said.

Negligence by a doctor or healthcare facility can result in serious injuries and even deaths. If you have been injured as the result of negligence while you were a patient in a hospital, nursing home or mental health facility, or if a loved one died due to negligence, you may be able to file a claim and collect compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses and other losses. Some of the most common forms of hospital negligence include wrong-site surgeries, medication errors, surgical errors, development of hospital-acquired infections, improper use of anesthesia, improper treatment of a diagnosed medical condition, failure to monitor or stabilize a patient, or improper use of a medical device. Call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP at 888-529-4669 today to discuss your legal options.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on February 15, 2010 (boomark / email).