New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Autistic Queens Man Dies In Car Under Care Of Assisted Living Facility

A 20-year-old autistic man has died after being left locked in a car for five hours on one of the hottest days of the year. The man, Brian Nevins of New York was living in an adult care facilities due to his disabilities and was under the care of the facility staff at the time of the fatal accident. As the details of the deadly accident unfold, many wonder if the company, Woods Services, will face a wrongful death lawsuit because of their negligent care of the young man.

Police say that Nevins, whose parents live in Oceanside, New York, probably died within 90 minutes of being locked in the van, as temperatures inside the vehicle probably quickly rose to 130 degrees. The cause of death is expected to be ruled as accidental hyperthermia. A counselor who was driving Nevins along with four other residents from a trip to Sesame Place on Saturday dropped off everyone but Nevins, who was forgotten in the car. Nevins was reported missing when a nurse found him missing from his room when it was time for his medication.

Nevins’ parents removed the young man’s twin, who also suffers from autism, from the facility on Saturday night. They said that their son was not verbal and that it was not clear if the car was locked from the inside.

The counselor responsible for the accident had received 40 hours of training and had a background check completed before he began work at Woods Services. The facility can house up to 700 residents, all of which suffer from behavioral problems and mental health issues. In 2009, a man eloped from the facility and fell or jumped from a nearby overpass to his death, but the care facilities was not found negligent in that case.

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