Having written two wrongful death entries about persons dying of hypothermia, one a lost skier, the other a Buffalo woman whose utilities were shut off for non-payment, I now write an entry on death by hyperthermia, too much heat.
Human beings understand how unpleasant it is to be too hot. People are usually very concerned when they notice a child or pet left in a closed automobile in a sunny parking lot on a hot day.
A 20 year-old severely autistic man was left, on July 24, 2010 (the hottest day recorded for the year), in the rear seat of a van which had returned from a day's outing. The van was owned by Woods Services, a Langhorne, PA, facility that provides a variety of services for people with special needs.
The coroner opined "He was probably dead within an hour with those temperatures." The man was noticed as missing when a new shift arrived to work at 4 p.m.; he was found, lying on his back in the Kia Sidona, at 5:35.
When considering a wrongful death case, we look for a "wrongful act, neglect or default".
There surely was neglect in this poor man's care.
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