Hospital patient dies from 134-degree bath, WV officials say. Health workers charged
Two workers at a long-term care facility in West Virginia have been charged in the death of a non-verbal patient who was left in a “scalding” hot bath for nearly an hour, officials said.
Registered nurse Delilah Clayburn-Hill and certified nursing assistant Kylah Beard are charged with felony neglect of an incapacitated adult by a caregiver after an investigation into a January 2024 incident at Hopemont Hospital in Terra Alta, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a Jan. 8 news release.
Larry Hedrick, a patient in his 60s who required “round-the-clock care,” was left with second- and third-degree burns and blisters on his feet and legs after Beard “unreasonably failed” to check the bathwater temperature, according to the release.
Beard then left Hedrick in the 134-degree bath water for 47 minutes, officials said.
Clayburn-Hill was later informed about the burns and blisters, but investigators said she failed to provide appropriate treatment, including pain medication, officials said.
Hedrick was later taken to a hospital in Pennsylvania, where he died from his injuries Jan. 12, 2024, officials said.
“This is a very disturbing case and there needs to be accountability for the horrific death of the victim, Mr. Larry Hedrick, who was supposed to be under the care of medical professionals,” Morrisey said in the release.
Hedrick worked for a tree service and a chicken plant before becoming disabled, according to an obituary that said he enjoyed working on cars, hunting and being outside. The obituary said he was 69, but the news release said he was 61.
The incident is still being investigated, according to the release. Hill and Beard are scheduled to appear in Preston County Magistrate Court on Jan. 29.
Terra Alta is about a 120-mile drive southeast from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
