Personal Injury Law

Autistic young man dies after Pennsylvania care facility leaves him in a parked van

By Paul Napoli

July 27, 2010

A residential care facility outside Philadelphia left a 20-year-old autistic patient inside a scorching hot van Saturday, where employees found him dead more than five hours later, according to an Associated Press article.

Two counselors and four residents of Woods Services in Middletown Township, PA traveled home from Sesame Place, a Langhorne, PA Sesame Street themed amusement park. The counselor driving the van dropped off the other counselor and two patients, then drove a short distance where she dropped off one other patient, she then parked the van in a nearby lot and locked the remaining patient inside.

The Bucks County coroner told local news station wcbstv.com that Brian Nevins, of Oceanside, NY, died of the heat related illness hyperthermia and likely died within an hour of the counselor locking him in the van. The temperature inside the van could have been as high as 150 degrees.

'The supervisor started looking in the vehicles and opened up transport vehicles and found the victim laying in the far backseat," Middletown Township Detective Jeffry Sproegnle told NBC Philadelphia. "It was obvious that the victim was dead."

Nevins, who was severely autistic and could not speak, and his twin brother who is also autistic, had lived at the residential treatment home for six years. The New York City Department of Education placed the Nevins twins in the group facility when they were 14 years old. The family has taken the remaining brother home.

Woods Services has suspended both counselors.

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on July 28, 2010 (boomark / email).