Paul da Costa is Representing Victim of the Andover Rehab Facility

Partner,  Paul M. da Costa., was recently retained by the family of an 83-year-old woman who died at the Andover Subacute & Rehab facility. On April 13, 2020, the Andover police department received an anonymous tip regarding a body being stored in a shed outside the facility. By the time the Andover police arrived on the scene to investigate, the body had been moved from within the shed, however, upon inspection of the facility officers found seventeen bodies of deceased patients piled up in a small morgue meant to store no more than four bodies. 

Paul’s representation of the decedent’s family follows his ongoing representation of another high-profile matter that gained national media attention involving an Adenovirus outbreak at The Wanaque Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation where thirty-six pediatric patients were infected and eleven ultimate passed away from the virus. Paul testified before the NJ Senate Health Committee in December 2018 at a hearing focused on the Adenovirus outbreak. He currently represents twelve families/children relating to the Adenovirus outbreak.

 The facility still cares for many patients. “Of the patients who remain at the homes, housed in two buildings, 76 have tested positive for the virus; 41 staff members, including an administrator, are sick with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus,” according to a recent New York Times article. The article goes on to say the facility recently experienced 68 deaths between the two buildings, 25 of which tested positive for COVID-19. Included in the 68 deaths were two nurses who worked at the facility. While reports on the exact body count are varying at this time it’s clear the coronavirus has taken its toll in the facility. 

Caretakers at the facility have even taken to social media to ask for help by declaring that the facility isn’t equipped to handle such situations and they are in desperate need of assistance. In addition, workers asked the public and businesses to donate extra supplies to the facility so they can continue to care for the remaining patients. 

In an interview with NBC New York, NJ, Rep. Josh Gottheimer revealed that he was contacted by a member of the facility who asked for assistance shortly before the seventeen bodies were discovered on April 13, 2020. “She called and said, ‘We’re overwhelmed here,’” he said on a Skype call, adding the woman who called was sick herself and said “so many” staff members at the home were sick” (NBC New York).

If you believe your loved one was a victim of inappropriate conduct at the Andover Subacute & Rehab facility, please contact Paul M. da Costa, Esq., of Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC. You can schedule a consultation via email (pdacosta@sarnolawfirm.com) or call us at 973-274-5200. To read more about COVID-19 related negligence or malpractice cases click here. 

Mr. da Costa has successfully handled a vast array of medical malpractice, personal injury and products liability cases. Through his tenacious and diligent advocacy, Mr. da Costa makes it his priority to “right the wrongs” that have been forced upon his clients. Mr. da Costa is not afraid to take cases to trial because he is a firm believer that pursuing the truth through litigation will prevent potential future wrongs. For a sampling of some of his seven figure verdicts and settlements click here. Paul M. da Costa and his team work tirelessly fighting aggressively to provide their clients with the strategic legal representation required to obtain substantial verdicts and settlements. 

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC is offering contact-less consultations and meetings. For the safety of our clients and staff we have adapted our business to operate remotely for the foreseeable future. We have made all necessary preparations to ensure that our clients can still be served throughout the pandemic, but from the comfort of their own homes. 

Sources:
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/nyregion/coronavirus-nj-andover-nursing-home-deaths.html
NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/17-bodies-crowded-tiny-morgue-found-new-jersey-nursing-home-n1185121
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/17-bodies-found-inside-jersey-nursing-home-amid/story?id=70181840
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/us/bodies-found-new-jersey-nursing-home/index.html
New York Post: https://nypost.com/2020/04/16/new-jersey-police-find-17-bodies-in-andover-nursing-home-morgue/