INVESTIGATION: Woman falls or jumps out window of senior living facility | News

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Officials with the state of North Carolina are investigating how a woman fell out of a window at Pacifica Senior Living in Wilmington.

According to New Hanover County's Department of Social Services, the woman allegedly fell or jumped from her window at the facility. 

Sources tell WECT.com the woman is in her 80's and is in serious condition at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

According to a call to 911 obtained by WECT, employees spotted the woman lying in front of the senior care facility Tuesday night. The caller told dispatch the woman was bleeding from her leg and had rubber gloves on when they found her.

Jim Jones, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed they are investigating an incident and have been at the facility for the past two days.

Jones also said that Pacifica has put a plan of protection in place and are checking that all windows are secure.

WECT.com reached out to the director at Pacifica Senior Living on Thursday.

Pacifica's corporate office released this statement:

"Pacifica Senior Living is a local Assisted and Memory
Care provider in Wilmington.  On Tuesday, a resident with impaired
cognitive abilities removed a window mechanism that keeps the second story
windows from opening more than 6 inches.  The resident then unlocked the
window, broke out the screen and fell out the window onto shrubbery
below.  The community and its staff are exceptionally grateful this beloved
resident only sustained injuries, that while serious, are not life
threatening. 

In the 15 years Pacifica Senior Living has been in
existence this is the first time anything of this nature has ever
occurred.  The special window mechanisms are inspected and approved by
local, state, and fire marshal regulators routinely.  To insure against
such an incident occurring again, however, additional window security features
are being added."  

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