In a strange and tragic turn of events, several seniors being cared for at the Gold Age Village in Loomis, California died after consuming toxic mushrooms used in a soup that was served during meal time. According to reports, a caregiver picked the deadly mushrooms from the backyard of the senior center and prepared the soup without realizing that the mushrooms were poisonous.
In total, three seniors died after consuming the soup–Warren Blodgett, 90, 86-year-old Barbara Lopes, and 73-year-old Teresa Olesniewicz. Blodgett was the most recent to die and passed away on Saturday. Authorities were able to quickly figure out that the soup was the cause of the problem because Gold Age Village only has six beds. The only person not to eat the mushroom soup did not fall ill.
California state law does not prohibit the use of foraged ingredients in food prepared at care facilities although unpasteurized milk and foods canned at home are not allowed. Investigators from the state department of social services, the department responsible for licensing care facilities, are delving deeper into the incident. No criminal charges have been filed against the senior care center.
recently named in the 2009 edition of Best Lawyer's In America, David Mittleman has been representing seriously injured people since 1985. A partner with Church Wyble PC—a division of Grewal Law PLLC—Mr. Mittleman and his partners focus on medical malpractice, wrongful death, car accidents, slip and falls, nursing home injury, pharmacy/pharmacist negligence and disability claims.
One Comment
Peter Egan
The monumental idiocy required to serve mushrooms, the type of which is unknown to the person preparing the food is staggering. I think the chef should be charged with negligent manslaughter by way of excessive stupidity.
He or she should have all cooking and food preparation rights revoked for at least a decade if not longer.
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