Patient Dies Falling from Fifth-Floor Window

Chair slammed against window multiple times shattered glass, worker says

By By Dan Hounsell


San Diego police are investigating the death of a patient who shattered a fifth-floor window at Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center in Grantville recently, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Kaiser confirmed the incident but declined to explain the surrounding circumstances.

The organization provided a brief statement but no additional information on what part of the hospital is on Zion’s fifth floor. A person who works there said the unit houses telemetry patients with conditions severe enough to require electronic vital sign monitoring. A chair slammed against the window multiple times was used to shatter the glass, the worker added.

Kaiser did not confirm those details and did not indicate why hospital employees working on the unit were unable to stop the patient before the glass broke or whether the patient was being monitored by an in-person observer or with a closed-circuit video surveillance camera. 



April 6, 2021


Topic Area: Security


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