Vietnam Veteran and former police detective Bill Nutter (pictured) died last year at a VA hospital in Massachusetts
A distinguished war veteran and former detective died after a nurse’s aide failed to check up on him because she was playing video games.
Bill Nutter suffered cardiac arrest while being treated for complications stemming from acute health problems at Bedford VA Medical Center last year.
Initially, medical staff told Carol Nutter, Bill’s wife, that her husband’s heart suddenly stopped beating in the middle of the night and there was little they could do.
That is until Mrs Nutter was informed by a doctor that hospital staff fell short in their duty in caring for her husband.
Carroll Nutter told the Boston Globe that she learned the night her husband died, a nurse’s aide responsible for monitoring his condition failed to check in on him.
It turns out, Patricia Waible instead was playing video games on her computer, according to the Globe citing a source with first-hand knowledge of the case.
‘And when a nurse discovered Nutter dead the next morning, the hospital’s internal report shows she announced it to her boss with a crude gesture signifying a slit throat,’ the Globe added.
Medical staff had initially informed Nutter’s wife that his heart stopped beating, but a doctor later revealed that negligence may have contributed (Pictured: Bedford VA Medical Center)
Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin’s office says it will investigate the case in order to identify shortcomings in the system (Pictured: Dr. Shulkin August 3, 2017)
The incident is now being reviewed by the federal government, with the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general launching an investigation in conjunction with the U.S. attorney’s office to determine how the system may have failed Bill Nutter.
During the Vietnam War, Nutter, 69, was exposed to the chemical Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used to kill plant life, while serving as a door gunner.
The defoliant, according to Nutter’s doctors, led to a battery of health problems including diabetes and a condition that could cause the former police detective’s heart to stop at any moment.
Doctors had already removed both of Nutter’s legs due to his diabetes, and he was being treated at the VA hospital due to other health complications when he died.
Shortly after Nutter’s death, Waible was transferred to the cafeteria and placed on probation as the hospital conducted their investigation.
The Globe reported Wiable has since been fired, after it was discovered she inaccurately stated on her signed paperwork that she had checked on Nutter at the appropriate time.
She eventually admitted the truth when video evidence surfaced showing she had never left her computer during the night Nutter died.
Politicians in Massachusetts like Senator Elizabeth Warren called Nutter’s death a ‘disgrace’ and vowed to hold an inquiry on the issue
The events leading up to Nutter’s death were only revealed after the Boston Globe began its investigation, with Carroll Nutter considering legal action in the wake of the report.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin’s office said in a statement that it ‘will hold employees accountable when the facts demonstrate that they have failed to live up to the high standards taxpayers expect from us.’
In response to the case, politicians in Massachusetts have expressed outrage to Bill Nutter’s treatment.
‘This is a disgrace,’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted following the publication of the Globes report, vowing to hold the VA department accountable for the incident.
‘This is unbelievable,’ Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told the Globe. ‘And yet not entirely so unbelievable given some of the things I’ve seen myself at the VA.’
Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass) told The Boston Herald in a statement that lawmakers ‘must use every available resource to not only get to the bottom of what happened at the Bedford VA, but also to make sure it never happens again.