Friday, September 16, 2005

Nursing Home Owners Face Negligent Homicide Charges For Not Evacuating Patients.

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (CNN) The owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish, where 34 people died as Hurricane Katrina hit, have been charged with negligent homicide, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. said Tuesday.

"They did not die of natural causes; they drowned," Foti told reporters. "Thirty-four people drowned in a nursing home where they should have been evacuated."

"We feel we have criminal negligence," Foti said. "They did not follow the standards of care that a reasonable person would follow in a similar circumstance." (Watch the attorney general explain the charges -- 4:23)

He said the owners had plenty of opportunity to move their charges out of the facility. The Manganos were asked if they wanted to evacuate the building and were offered buses; in addition, they had signed last April a contract with Acadian Ambulance to provide transportation in the event an evacuation was needed, Foti said, but "they were never called."

Does this sound familiar to you? Kind of seems like what Mayor Nagin did doesn't it? He had access to buses a amtrack train leaving town offered to take evacuees but he turned the offer down. he train left empty. I wonder if Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. will charge him. I doubt it.

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