Nijmegen care facility to be prosecuted in resident’s death in overly hot shower
Dutch prosecutors will pursue criminal charges against a care institution in Nijmegen after a resident was scalded in a shower, authorities said Friday.
The man was placed under the shower by nursing staff at the facility in March 2025. Staff then briefly members left the room. When one employee returned shortly afterward, the water temperature had risen dangerously high. The resident suffered extensive burns and died from those injuries the following day.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced the prosecution after a thorough investigation. Prosecutors concluded that errors at the institution were so serious that they enabled the fatal accident.
"The Public Prosecution Service concludes that mistakes were made at the institution that were so serious that this deadly accident could occur," the OM said. As a result, the care facility can be held criminally responsible for death by negligence.
The involved caregivers will not face individual prosecution. The OM determined that criminal proceedings against those persons "are not appropriate."
