Woman charges her husband died as a result of humiliating treatment from employees of Walgreens store in Florida.
Maria Elizarraras, the widow of an elderly man, charges that her husband died after rude treatment from employees of an Orlando (FL) Walgreens, when they stopped him from leaving the store and made him return to the bathroom to clean it because it was left a mess, according to WFTV9 in “Man dies of emotional distress after being forced to clean Walgreens bathroom widow says.”
The widow claims that her 69-year-old husband was forcibly detained, forced to clean and mop the bathroom for 20 minutes and was made fun of by store employees. The lawsuit alleges that the humiliation led to emotional distress that caused the man’s death.
There are several problems with this lawsuit.
Specifically, it is not clear exactly how the incident caused the man’s death. In addition, the suit does not state how long after the incident the man passed away. Setting aside those legal hurdles, if the incident is true, it is a shocking case of elder abuse.
To force an elderly man to clean a store’s bathroom while mocking him is abuse. It is difficult to imagine he could have left a mess that required 20 minutes to clean, but even if it was a large mess, a pharmacy should be more aware about problems the elderly might face and be more understanding.
The incident is a good reminder of how the elderly can be abused and that the abuse can lead to problems.
Reference: WFTV9 (Dec. 8, 2016) “Man dies of emotional distress after being forced to clean Walgreens bathroom widow says.”
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