Buffalo police investigating death of Emerald South nursing home resident

June 04--Buffalo police are investigating the death of an 87-year-old resident of Emerald South nursing home who fell 34 feet while using a make-shift rope of bed sheets and clothing to climb out his third-floor window.

Police consider the death of William Strasner to be accidental, Capt. Jeffrey Rinaldo said at a news conference.

Strasner, of Buffalo, apparently was trying to escape Emerald South Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 1175 Delaware Ave. He was discovered lying in the facility's parking lot at 6 a.m. by an employee. Strasner died in an ambulance while en route to a hospital.

Strasner's sliding window was only supposed to open 7 inches, Rinaldo said. A nut and bolt system was supposed to prevent the window from opening wide enough for a person to get out of it. He said police are investigating why the window did not function properly.

Nursing home staff said they checked Strasner's room approximately 30 minutes before he was found, Rinaldo said.

Rinaldo said police are in the process of obtaining Strasner's medical records from the nursing home and do not know about his mental health.

Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate Strasner's death. They expect to coordinate with the state Department of Health.

Emerald South was awarded a two-star overall rating out of a possible five stars by the state Department of Health following its most recent inspection. That is below average.

The 122-bed facility was fined $10,000 by the state in February 2017 in connection with the death of Ruth Murray, an 82-year-old woman who suffered fatal injuries in a beating at the hands of an 84-year-old male resident.

On the morning of Aug. 26, she mistakenly wandered into a man's room in the dementia unit, where she also lived, and the attack occurred. Murray suffered a broken neck, several broken ribs, a broken nose, facial fractures and a collapsed lung in the attack. She died three days later.

The state fined Emerald South after determining it had not ensured that each resident receives adequate supervision to prevent such accidents.

The Erie County District Attorney's office decided not to prosecute Murray's assailant, saying he lacked the mental capacity to participate in a trial and to form criminal intent in the killing of Murray.

Murray's family has sued Emerald South over her death.

Family's tragedy at nursing home inspires 'Ruthie's Law'

___

(c)2018 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.