96-year-old Westmont nursing home resident died of exposure after workers left her in bus overnight, prosecutors say
Two men have been charged in the death from neglect of a 96-year-old Westmont nursing home resident who died of cold exposure when she was left in a bus overnight, prosecutors said.
Bert Mongreig, 63, and Navdeep Dhall, 43, are both charged with felony criminal neglect of a long-term care home resident resulting in death after Cordia Senior Living resident Regina Adamik died Feb. 3, according to a news release from DuPage County’s state’s attorney.
Mongreig had driven Adamik to a hospital the day before she was found dead in a bus at the nursing home, 865 N. Cass Ave. in Westmont, and falsified a log saying she was brought back into the facility, according to the release.
Mongreig and Dhall both appeared at a court hearing Thursday in which bond was set at $50,000 after arrest warrants were issued Wednesday.
Adamik was found unresponsive at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 3 on a bus that had been driven by Mongreig. An employee of the nursing home called 911, and a Westmont Fire Department crew pronounced her dead. She showed no signs of injury.
The DuPage County coroner’s office later ruled that Adamik died from cold exposure after being left in a parked van outside the nursing home overnight, prosecutors said.
Investigators discovered that on Feb. 2 Adamik was taken to a nearby hospital for a medical concern and returned around 3 p.m.. Mongreig failed to ensure that Adamik, who used a wheelchair, was off the bus before parking the bus in a lot for the night, according to the release.
Temperatures fell as low as 22 degrees overnight. Mongrieg entered in the resident logbook that Adamik was returned to the nursing home, prosecutors said.
When notified of her absence that night around 10 p.m., Dhall, the resident care manager, “did not make any effort to locate the victim either that night or the following morning,” according to the news release.
Other staff began to look for Adamik the next morning around 10:15 a.m., finding her about 15 minutes later, unresponsive on the transport bus.
“It is alleged that the gross recklessness displayed by both Mr. Mongreig and Mr. Dhall resulted in the death of a ninety-six-year-old resident in their care,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Seniors at long-term care facilities rely on others for their personal safety and day-to-day needs.”
Adamik was survived by two children and four grandchildren, according to her obituary.
Mongreig and Dhall were both taken into custody at their homes Thursday without incident, according to the release.
“Despite the passage of time, the Westmont Police Department Investigations Division worked tirelessly on this heartbreaking case, resulting in charges against these two individuals,” said Westmont Chief of Police Gunther, in the release. “It is my hope that today’s charges serve as an important first step in providing the victim’s family some measure of comfort.”
