Pennsylvania Nursing Home Explosion Kills Two, Injures Many More
A December nursing home explosion in Pennsylvania shows us the best and worst in people. Someone’s mistake, and possibly negligence, killed a nursing home employee and a resident two days before Christmas. Investigations into the explosion have just started, so we don’t know what or who caused the lethal blast, but buildings don’t blow themselves up.
Injuries and deaths caused by negligence in Kentucky nursing homes happen far more frequently than we would like to believe. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, attorneys in Louisville, hold nursing homes accountable if their negligence causes harm. Learn more by calling us at 502-589-5600 (or toll-free at 855-385-9532).
Rescuers Risk Death to Get Residents and Workers Out of the Building
At least two gas explosions in Bristol, a Philadelphia suburb, in the Bristol Health and Rehab Center, a nursing home, caused flames, flying debris, and demolished walls, but that didn’t stop the evacuation of dozens of employees and nursing home residents. A secondary explosion happened while rescuers were in the building. Before the blast, a utility crew was at the facility after a reported gas leak, reports the Associated Press (AP).
The part of the building with the cafeteria and kitchen was almost destroyed. The roof collapsed, wall sections were missing, and windows on adjoining walls were shattered.
The following day, everyone had been accounted for. Bristol Township’s police chief, Charles Winik, told reporters that he’d “never seen such heroism…They were running into a building that I could — from 50 feet away — could still smell gas, and walls that looked like they were going to fall down.”
The explosions trapped victims in stairwells, elevator shafts, and a collapsed basement, according to the New York Times. Some residents were carried out on rescuers’ shoulders. Some of the victims couldn’t talk or walk. Some needed wheelchairs to get around in the best of times.
The Saber Healthcare Group, which is affiliated with the nursing home, told the Times that Bristol Health “personnel promptly reported a gas smell” to the power company. The AP reports a certified nursing assistant told a local TV station that staff smelled gas the prior weekend. They didn’t think it was a serious problem because there was no heat in the room where the smell came from. Other employees told a speech therapist they smelled gas early the day of the explosion.
Gas Explosion Takes Sister, Mother, and Nurse from Community
The county coroner’s office identified 52-year-old Muthoni Nduthu as the deceased employee. At the time of the blast, the licensed practical nurse was finishing a shift before taking a trip to North Carolina to visit her relatives.
Nduthu’s sister, Rose Muema, told the Times she was very involved in her community, a great mother to her sons, a great wife, and a devout Catholic. She came to the US 21 years ago from Kenya, graduated from nursing school, worked in nursing homes, loved to cook, and worked hard.
Ms. Nduthu’s oldest son, Clinton Ndegwa, said his mother was excited for the trip to see family and planned to cook a Kenyan feast.
“We’re immigrant kids, first generation,” Mr. Ndegwa said. “She worked to try to provide for her family. She liked serving people. She took pride in that…She told us to go to school, get jobs…Life won’t be easy (she advised), but life will be much better.”
An unidentified female resident died at a Philadelphia hospital.
Nursing Home Has a Long, Troubled History of Failing to Maintain Safety
The Bristol Health and Rehab Center, according to the Times, formerly known as the Silver Lake Healthcare Center, has one out of five stars on the Medicare website’s nursing home ratings. That translates to “much below average” based on staffing measures and health inspections.
The facility was fined by the federal government twice in 2024, totaling $418,000. The problems included the following:
- Giving seizure medication to the wrong patient and not investigating the error
- Failing to schedule appointments for patients
- Not providing wound care to a patient after it was prescribed
A September 2024 health inspection resulted in 24 citations. This is more than double the Pennsylvania and national averages. Among the problems found by inspectors are the following:
- Nurses failed to put a plan in place to address a resident’s drug abuse despite them having multiple overdoses and hospitalizations
- The nursing home failed to give appropriate treatment to a resident with dementia
- It gave the wrong medications to residents
- It failed to consider residents’ food allergies
- There were broken handrails in the hallways
About 200 complaints concerning the nursing home in the last three years resulted in citations, according to the Medicare website. In response to complaints, inspectors found:
- A resident’s physician and family members were not contacted after a resident suffered a bruise
- Staff didn’t react to a resident’s weight loss
It’s not known if the nursing home’s management played a role in the explosion, which is under investigation. But it’s clear from the record that they had other problems keeping their residents safe.
Speak To a Nursing Home Injury Attorney Today
Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys will fight for your loved one to obtain respectful care, compensation for injuries, and accountability for those responsible for the injuries. To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer, call our Louisville office at 502-589-5600 (toll-free at 855-385-9532) or contact us online.