A Dubuque care facility for people with disabilities has been fined $10,000 as a result of a resident’s death in a wheelchair accident. State inspection reports indicate that 49-year-old Jamison Daniel died March 21st during an outing for residents of the Hills & Dales care facility where he lived. According to state inspectors, a worker at the facility reported that residents of the center were taken to the riverfront that day to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. Upon arrival, the staff unhooked the tie-downs used to lock in place all of the residents’ wheelchairs. Two workers were directing other residents toward the vehicle’s wheelchair lift as Daniel moved toward another door of the vehicle in his wheelchair. He then tumbled out of the door toward the sidewalk below. Paramedics were called to the scene, but by the time they arrived, Daniel had no pulse. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The cause of death, according to the death certificate, was blunt force injury to the neck.
