He first trial by deaths in a residence during the Covid-19 pandemic in Spain was seen this Thursday for sentencing in Alcoy (Alicante) with the two initial antagonistic positions of the victims’ relatives and those responsible for the center. «They trusted«summarized the lawyer for the 46 complainants – relatives of 18 victims – while the defense has attributed these deaths to other pathologies and has denied any negligence.
Throughout the sessions, the former focused on the lack of sufficient staff to care for the residents and the inhumane conditions, witnessed by Dr. Manuel Pérez Bosch, head of the Home Hospitalization Unit at the Virgen de los Lirios Hospital in Alcoy. , who came to intervene with a team of doctors and nurses at the residence, and recounted how they found sick people on the floor begging to be “taken out of there.” It was also ensured that living elderly people had been living in the same room with other deceased people.
However, those responsible for the center have denied credibility to these circumstances and have assured that the “sectorization” was carried out when it was ordered by the health authorities and at all times it was they fulfilled los protocolsalso emphasizing the global “catastrophic” context.
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Trial session for the deaths in the Alcoy senior center
EFE
The president of the Association of Relatives Affected in the Domus Vi Residences of Alcoy and Cocentaina, Jose Luis Garciahas had an impact on the last session of the trial at the center of Alcoy – where 74 residents diedhalf of the total –, on the “force of facts.” Among other details, they have focused on the fact that no deaths occurred in the facilities located in the other neighboring municipality, owned by the same company. “They didn’t take it seriously and when they wanted to it was too late,” the prosecution lawyer added.
«We will never think that our relatives were the object of bad luck or chance. What we are looking for in a residential center is support, protection and care, and evidently something in that process failed so that 74 people died in a month and a half,” García highlighted at the end of this trial concluded after eight sessions with a petition compensation for 2.3 million of euros.
García has regretted that the defense has maintained its attempt to “disqualify” any of the testimonies, both that of Dr. Manuel Pérez and the other family members and workers.
«This residence had been prioritizing the collection of benefit economical to the attention and care of users. When they wanted to implement the pertinent measures, they had arrived afternoon and there was no way to stop the trail of deaths«Garcia stressed.
The trial had to be suspended in February due to the lack of documentation from the residence denounced and has now concluded with the presentation of conclusions by all parties, both the family members, the residence management company and the insurance company, after two weeks in which more than thirty people, including witnesses and experts, have paraded before the court.
«Visitors came in»
In the line of defense, it has been indicated that the measure of isolation between residents to avoid contagion – called “sectorizing” – was “ineffective because they continued family members entering and employees, who had no restrictions outside.”
Both the residence’s lawyer and the representatives of the insurance company (Mapfre) have agreed to discredit the conduct of some relatives of the deceased who have joined this lawsuit – in which those of all the victims are not included, due to limitations. economic – after no haber «visited in years« to his relatives.
They have also reduced the credibility of some complaints prior to the pandemic, exposed in the trial to show that the poor management came from afar, since, as they claimed, they involved gastroenteritis and minor problems of subjective assessment. Regarding the amount of compensation demanded, they have considered it “scandalous and offensive.”
