Mesa hot van death: Family prepares lawsuit after heat ruled cause of death
Wrongful death suit coming in Mesa van death
FOX 10's Megan Spector speaks with attorney Kurt Maahs about upcoming legal action following the heat-related death of Lorenzo Lopez outside a Mesa facility.
MESA, Ariz. - A family is searching for justice following the death of a loved one with special needs who was found dead inside a care facility vehicle in Mesa.
What we know:
The medical examiner report officially ruled heat as the cause of death for 36-year-old Lorenzo Lopez. Now the attorney representing his family will be filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
"The family is horrified that this happened to Lorenzo. The community is horrified this happened to Lorenzo," said Kurt Maahs, an attorney representing the Lopez family. "It's tragic and completely preventable."
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Mesa care facility death: Investigation underway after man found dead in van
A 36-year-old man with developmental disabilities, identified as Lorenzo Lopez, was found dead inside a van parked outside the Pathways for Life facility in Mesa.
The backstory:
Lopez was found dead on June 4 inside a van outside Pathways for Life, a Mesa care facility serving adults with developmental disabilities.
"He was left in the vehicle from 8:30 a.m. until after 5:30 p.m. when the ambient temperatures outside reached 106 degrees, which means inside a vehicle, those temperatures would be 20 to 30 degrees higher," Maahs said.
‘A grave error’
What they're saying:
Lopez was an autistic, developmentally disabled adult. According to the medical examiner's report, Lopez could buckle his seatbelt, but could not open the vehicle doors. The report also reveals a critical detail from police.
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Advocates speak out after man found in hot van at Mesa care facility
Disability Rights Arizona is emphasizing the critical need for proper staff training after a man with developmental disabilities was found dead inside a van outside a Mesa care facility.
"At 8:30 a.m. he was signed into the facility by some employee of Pathways. Obviously that's a grave error," Maahs said.
Now, the family’s attorney is preparing to file a wrongful death suit once all relevant evidence is gathered.
"We need all the information so we can make sure that we hold everyone that is responsible, accountable. Obviously, we already know about Pathways. But we need to know the names of the individuals, we need to know the names of any other entity or party involved," Maahs said. "We want to make sure that Pathways, and every other type of care facility, takes note of this and says this can't happen again."
FOX 10 reached out to Pathways for Life and the attorney representing the facility, but did not hear back Thursday.
Map of where Lopez's body was found in a hot van:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Kurt Maahs, attorney representing the Lopez family; and a report from the medical examiner.