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Man has stroke at work, spends 5 days alone, dies
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Relatives and authorities say a computer specialist had a stroke in his office and wasn't discovered until five days afterward. He later died at a hospital.
David Norton, of Portland, was barely alive when police found him Oct. 10 inside his University of Southern Maine office. He died Oct. 15 at Maine Medical Center.
Linda Norton says her son had a stroke the Friday before Columbus Day. University police found him in his locked office the following Wednesday, the day a co-worker reported he had missed a meeting and couldn't be reached.
Norton's mother has asked the school to develop a policy for police to check offices every day. University officials say they're reviewing policies to determine if changes are warranted.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Man-has-stroke-at-work-spends-5-days-alone-dies-3996026.php#ixzz2AtyQWqWH
Public Safety officer Jeff Soper responded to a call from another USM staff member concerned because Norton had not been present or in communication for a few days. The Public Safety log shows that officer Soper received the call at 7:44 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 10, and he answered the call shortly after, finding Norton in his office on the second floor of the Portland Science Building.
The door had been closed and locked, and a curtain over the door window prevented any co-workers or passers-by from seeing Norton inside. Norton was alive, although reportedly barely breathing when he was found and in a state of medical emergency requiring immediate care. He was taken to Maine Medical Center where he died five days later.
According to Public Safety, Norton had been in his office Friday evening and made outgoing calls. That was the last recorded communication from his office.
Although it could not be confirmed because the university has refused to release any report to The Free Press, one university employee and a good friend of Norton who preferred to remain unnamed said Norton had been in his office over the duration of October break. That would mean Norton had been confined to his office from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10 when he was found by officer Soper.
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2012/10/30/usm-official-found-dying-locked-office/1273898
Whovian
(2,866 posts)ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)Man, that sucks.
davsand
(13,420 posts)I shudder to think what any office without a janitor would look like after too long. THAT being said, that poor man! How very sad to not be missed for FIVE days!
Laura
mike_c
(36,191 posts)...and I get janitorial service every couple of weeks, at best. Often I go for most of the semester with no evidence of anyone ever emptying the trash (other than me), cleaning the floor, etc.
davsand
(13,420 posts)I know that higher ed has suffered huge budget constraints, but they can't even afford to get somebody to empty your trash???
Maybe if they'd cut the big-wigs' annual salary a bit they'd be able to afford a few janitors.
Laura
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Really sad though
reformist2
(9,841 posts)mike_c
(36,191 posts)Summoning help would probably be pretty easy, at least it would be from my university office, as long as one is conscious and able to dial 911. I don't think it would be necessary to actually speak into the phone. So I'm thinking he must have been unconscious for most or all of that duration.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)louis-t
(23,167 posts)Doctors said he was probably conscious at least some of the time. Lived alone, died a few days later.