Woman questions how brother could climb out of Surrey care home window, fall into courtyard

SURREY (NEWS 1130) — A Surrey woman is looking for answers after her brother suffered injuries due to a fall at his care facility last week.

Fifty-eight-year-old Joseph Brown, who has dementia, pushed a window ajar in the dining area, climbed on the ledge, and then fell into the courtyard below.

Joe’s sister, Carol Pinkerton, tells NEWS 1130 he sustained a broken leg and heel, and is questioning how this could have happened.

“The nurses saw that he wasn’t in his room and just looked and there he was in the courtyard laying on the concrete,” Pinkerton says.

“In a seniors home, no patient should have access to a window. They’re supposed to be safely secure. That never should have happened.”

She also says she told staff that her brother has a history of trying to sneak out for a smoke because he doesn’t always realize what the rules are.

“It’s a safety thing. They should’ve taken that aside and thought of it in his assessment knowing that he’s known to try to do this. They should never have had a window open.”

Pinkerton says she has made a complaint to the Community Care Licensing program, and asked for her brother to be moved to the main floor.

“He’d be safe on the main floor where there’s no access for him to even think of trying anything,” she says, adding that as far as she knows, he has not been moved.

A spokesperson for Laurel Place tells NEWS 1130 Joe is safe and comfortable after having his injury treated.

“I can confirm that a resident did open a small (11 inch) window overlooking a resident patio and slid down the roof and then jumped the eight feet to the ground,” an email says.

“The window has been fitted with an extra securing mechanism to limit the size of the opening to prevent future night time excursions.”