DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -
The Decatur Police Department is pushing ahead with the investigation into the death of a 94-year-old woman from a wheelchair accident.
They are digging to find out if Elizabeth Street's death resulted from the accident. The results of the investigation will be important if her family decides to sue the nursing home.
Eight days ago, during a fire drill at Country Cottage Assisted Living, Street rolled down a hill in her wheelchair, landing in a water-filled ditch.
She died three days later at Decatur-Morgan Hospital.
The attending physician determined the cause of death as pneumonia but did not determine the manner of death.
So Decatur investigators asked the State Department of Forensic Evidence to lay out the criteria for an accidental death investigation.
"We initially began a preliminary investigation as soon as we learned of Ms. Street's death, waiting for an actual determination from the coroner or the attending physician. When that wasn't forthcoming, we contacted the Department of Forensic Science for further guidance, and that was ultimately the determination that was made," said Lt. John Crouch with Decatur Police.
Investigators said this investigation should not take long to complete.
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Decatur Police are digging to find out if Elizabeth Street's death resulted from the accident.
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