Disabled Man Suffers Burns From Shower

Disabled Man Suffers Burns From Shower

Police Investigate Case At Group Home

POSTED: 4:51 pm CST December 12, 2011

UPDATED: 8:43 am CST December 13, 2011


OMAHA, Neb. -- A disabled man was critically burned while left in the shower at a care facility. Now police are investigating, and his guardian wants answers.

Twenty-two-year-old Donzell Harden suffered third-degree burns on the lower half of his body at a Bellevue group home on Saturday. He's now in the Nebraska Medical Center's burn unit.

Harden's guardian, Sherry Becker, has some tough decisions to make. But, Becker said, Harden shouldn't be suffering. She said it could have been prevented.

Born prematurely, Harden has been disabled his entire life. He's blind, doesn't walk or talk and is unable to use his arms.

Becker brought Harden into her foster home 10 years ago. In 2009, she put him in a Bellevue group home, Hands of Heartland.

On Friday, paramedics rushed Harden to a hospital with severe burns. Police said a staff member left him alone in the shower while she helped a coworker on a computer.

"He was being scalded. He couldn't do anything. He can't move. He can't even cover himself," Becker said.

According to the police report, a certified nursing assistant placed Harden in his shower chair, turned on the water to let it warm up and moved the shower head before stepping away. When she came back, the shower head was directing scalding water toward Harden.

"If she had been in there with him, she would have known the water was getting too warm where it burned him," Becker said.

The owner of Hands of Heartland, Courtney Kline-Hays, said, "This is an isolated incident. There is one person involved. We are conducting our own internal investigation."

"Human error happens. We have put in safety measures to make sure this doesn't happen again," Kline-Hays said.

Meanwhile, Becker waits for Harden to recover.

"This is a situation that was preventable, and I want something put in place so this doesn't happen to other kids," Becker said.

The police report also said it appeared the water heater was set too high. But Becker called that a moot point, saying Harden should never have been left alone.

Now, Becker said she'll have to choose between a painful surgery for Donzell and letting "nature take its course."

Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services said there have been separate complaints against the care facility in the past about the treatment of patients.

In January, HHS said it launched an investigation after a patient was taken to the emergency room four times after falling "in or after the shower."

But HHS investigators said they found no evidence "which indicates a consistent review of incidents of this nature."

According to the HHS report, another person gained 90 pounds while at the care facility, and there "no evidence that Hands of Heartland has attempted to problem solve what issues may be causing/affecting this weight gain."

The state said the investigations were completed, a "plan of correction" for each was in place, and HHS re-certified Hands of Heartland in March.

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