St. George assisted living home warned by state after resident dies after being found in freezer

ST. GEORGE — The state has put a St. George assisted living facility on conditional license status after the recent death of a resident who became trapped in the facility’s kitchen freezer and later died, according to a report from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.

The Jan. 25 report notes that the Meadows at Escalante, 950 S. 400 East, was “out of compliance” with several Utah regulations, including that an administrator remains on the premises “enough hours in the business day,” reviews “at least quarterly every injury, accident and incident to a resident or employee and document appropriate corrective action,” logs any “significant change” in a resident’s condition and completes “an investigation when there was reason to believe a resident had been subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation.”

“During the inspection, it was discovered that a resident accessed the kitchen through unlocked doors, became trapped in the facility’s commercial kitchen freezer and later expired,” the report states.

St. George police said they learned of the incident on Jan. 21 and requested the State Medical Examiner’s report. Criminal charges have not been filed in connection to the death.

Family members identified the woman who died as 75-year-old Rickie Rubick, St. George News reported.

Please read Ashley Imlay’s complete story at KSL.com.