A Riverside County man is holding San Luis Obispo County, the city of Paso Robles, the Housing Authority of SLO, Paso Robles Nonprofit Housing Corporation, and Affordable Housing Paso Robles accountable for allegedly causing the death of his aging mother.
Chet Dotter Senior Apartment Community resident Carolyn Jane Roach-Hendershot, the 80-year-old mother of plaintiff Daniel Bacon, reportedly died because of elder abuse and neglect, according to Bacon’s complaint for damages filed on July 25. The lawsuit alleged that Roach-Hendershot fell sick in January and needed emergency help.
“In her distress, she reached for an emergency pull cord, a measure meant to swiftly alert defendants and their agents, employees, managers, personnel, and/or staff to her urgent need for assistance,” the complaint read. “However, despite her efforts, decedent’s distress signal went unnoticed; the response time was slow; and/or the emergency cord was not functioning as intended.”
Affordable Housing Online shows that the pull cord feature is publicly advertised as a part of living in the Chet Dotter Senior Apartment Community, which has 40 rent-subsidized apartments for people 62 years and older.
The complaint added that the apartments were also advertised to come with an on-site person who would be available to help around the clock.
“Medical personnel eventually arrived at decedent’s unit but were unable to gain entry despite multiple attempts to reach a senior community property manager of defendants or their agents, employees, managers, personnel, and/or staff,” the complaint said. “With no alternative, medical personnel had to forcibly enter decedent’s unit. Their efforts came too late, and decedent tragically passed away on Jan. 15, 2024, from the injuries she sustained on Jan. 12, 2024.”
Roach-Hendershot’s son is seeking damages for negligence, premises liability, elder abuse, wrongful death, and survival. Bacon legal representative Los Angeles-based Wilshire Law Firm declined to speak with New Times on the record.
In these early stages of the lawsuit, it remains unclear which body is responsible for the senior apartment community. HASLO didn’t respond to New Times‘ request for comment by press time, but SLO County did.
“We believe the county is not a proper party to this lawsuit and will be making every effort to extricate ourselves,” SLO County Counsel Rita Neal said. Δ
This article appears in Oct 3-13, 2024.
Hello, I would like to speak to Daniel or the law firm taking the case. My mother lives at Chet Dotter AKA Paso Robles Nonprofit Housing Corporation. Since PRNH took over duties from Paso HASLO, there have been a lot of new people there presenting themselves as management. My mother has had two falls in the last 6 mos. She has pulled the emergency cord both times. The pull cords are supposed to alert the fire department and paramedics right away. The new super intendant decided to shut the pull cord off alarm because he thought it was not necessary. He thought he could help her himself, so he knocked on moms door. She heard him knocking but couldnt get off the floor. She screamed, but he didnt hear her. When he didnt hear anything, he walked away. My mom lay on the floor bleeding and naked all night long until I went by there before work the following morning when I hadnt heard from her. She require stitches and a hospital trip and 2 mos of recovery. The next fall, the superintendant unlocked her door and went right into her apartment and tried to pick her up himslef with some other ladies in the building risking further injuries that did occur. I was furious. The pull cords are put there for a reason and worked just fine before Chet Dotter took the building over. I told the lady who claims to be the manager that they are not ever to act as medical staff at any time and if my mother pulls the emergency cord, she expets the paramedics and fire department to come. I was told that this should not happen again. There is a lot more to tell, but mom is affraid to lose her housing , so she is affraid to speak out against the non profit.
Undisclosed settlement with non disclosure clause.