A wheelchair-bound nursing-home resident suffered fatal burns after accidentally setting himself on fire while smoking a cigarette and using an oxygen tank.
A police officer responding to a 911 call on April 17 from the Grande Oaks nursing facility in Oakwood Village, Ohio, found a man lying face down on the front lawn of the facility next to a wheelchair.
The patient was on oxygen while smoking a cigarette outside of the facility, investigators say.
Posted by Cleveland 19 News on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
“There was a wheelchair that was smoldering in front of the building with a male lying on the ground,” Detective Ed Thyret told Fox News.
“I noticed the male wasn’t breathing and noticed that something needed to be done now, so as we got him rolled over I checked his vitals. He had no pulse, he wasn’t breathing. So my instinct was to start CPR until our fire department got there.”
The detective also saw a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the ground nearby.
The man turned out to be 63-year-old Joseph Konopa, a resident at the facility.
Konopa was rushed to a nearby hospital with severe burns to his face. He died of his injuries.
No one else was injured by the blaze.
Motorist Made the 911 Call
Nursing home residents reported seeing Konopa outside, but no one saw him burning.
The 911 call was made by a passing motorist, KMOV reported.
A lady was driving by the nursing home and saw Konopa ion flames. She immediately called the police saying, “I am in Oakwood, right across the street from the Oakwood Police Station—at the nursing home
“He’s in the front. The wheelchair is on fire. He’s on the ground.
“Help him!”
Detective Thyret told WOIO that in his opinion the incident was just an unfortunate accident, not a crime.
Apparently Konopa had wheeled himself out to a gazebo on the lawn of the nursing home, which is located in a suburb of Cleveland. Residents at the facility had full freedom to use the grounds, according to Detective Thyret.
Nurse Tanika Traylor Harrison, commenting on the WOIOP Facebook page, said, “I’ve been a nurse for over 20 years and I worked for an oxygen company before and many people on oxygen smoke while using their oxygen.
“They honestly think this cannot happen.”
Grande Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation has 90 housing units for elderly residents, according to Senior Advice. Most of the residents are confined to their beds. The facility is operated by is operated by Embassy Healthcare.
Embassy Healthcare released a statement saying, “Resident care and safety is the highest priority. Due to the privacy and confidentiality of our resident’s information we are unable to discuss specific resident information.
“Embassy Healthcare is cooperating fully with state and local governing bodies on this investigation.”
