UNC bunk not at fault in woman’s death, autopsy suggests Education Process Help

Posted on October 12 2010 by Andrew Kelynack

UNC bunk not at fault in woman’s death, autopsy suggests

CHAPEL HILL — UNC-Chapel Hill still plans to buy bed rails for all 8,500 residence hall rooms even though a new autopsy report suggests a woman who died while visiting her daughter’s dorm room did not fall from a bunk bed.

Donna Sykes, 49, of Spring Hope most likely tripped over her daughter’s walker, fell backward and hit her head on a dresser, according to a recent report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Sykes died from the head injury suffered Aug. 20 at Kenan Residence Hall, where she was visiting her daughter, Jesse, 19, who was starting her first year at UNC-CH after transferring from Nash Community College. Jesse Sykes has cerebral palsy, and her mother was helping her adjust to dorm life.

An earlier medical examiner’s report says Sykes likely died from “blunt force injury of the head” due to a fall from a bunk bed. It does not say where the notion that she fell from a bunk bed originated.

Sykes’ death led to calls on campus for bed rails, which were available to students but not required. The safety rails attach easily to the standard-issue dorm beds.

The university generally gets about 30 requests a year for bed rails and had about 100 of the rails available at the start of the fall semester. After Sykes’ fall, the school borrowed 40 more from N.C. State and ordered an additional 1,000. So far, about 500 students have requested bed rails this year, said Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing at UNC-CH.

The university will likely go ahead with plans to purchase bed rails for all rooms at a cost of $250,000, he said.

He said officials are awaiting results of a survey sent to all dorm residents on bed rail use, but the university is likely to go ahead and buy the rails.

“That is our plan at the moment, with safety as our primary goal,” Bradley said.

So far, he said, about 1,700 surveys have been completed. Students have until the end of the week to complete the survey before an advisory committee reviews the results.

The more recent autopsy report helps clarify the details of Sykes’ death.

It states in part: “Further investigation reveals the likely scenario of [Sykes] attempting to enter or exit the bed, becomes entangled in the daughter’s walker and falls backwards.”

The report goes on to say Sykes’ head appears to have struck a dresser about six feet from the base of the bed.

“This suggests,” the report said, “that she probably didn’t simply roll out of the bed, but fell.”

Jesse Sykes did not have a roommate.

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