NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - Edward Taylor, the father of abuse victim Edward Ware, has called for a news conference to shed light on a tragic incident that claimed his son’s life and although three people have been charged in this incident, Taylor said it isn’t enough.
The event started on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at 1370 NE 138th Street, North Miami, where Taylor’s attorney announced that he is going to sue the caregivers and the company that hired them. Taylor also called for stricter laws when it comes to protecting disabled citizens.
Ware, an autistic adult reliant on Care Assist Home Care Inc. for support at the Family Tree Concept group home, tragically lost his life on December 21, 2021.
Surveillance footage captured the horrifying moment when three caregivers physically restrained Ware, leading to his suffocation and death.
Taylor entrusted Care Assist Home Care Inc. with his son’s well-being, expecting safe living conditions and proper care for his medical and behavioral needs. Instead, the unimaginable occurred.
Driven by the need for justice and to bring attention to the vulnerability of individuals in group homes, Taylor addressed the media during the news conference.
“At the time of his murder, I was on speakerphone, talking to my son,” he said. “The last memory I have of him is hearing the caretakers wrestle him to the floor and hearing take his last breath.
The Haggard Law Firm, represented by lawyers Michael Haggard and Kimberly Wald, has filed a lawsuit in pursuit of justice for this wrongful death case.
“He trusted them to provide staffing to protect his son, to keep his son safe and instead, they killed his son,” said Wald. “… What happened here was murder, there is no other way to put it.”
Among other things, the lawsuit alleges the company that hired the people in this video didn’t provide them with the proper training or supervision that could have prevented the death of the 36-year-old.
“The group home staff appeared to have little training on how to deal with problems relating to mental illnesses or training on to restrain a person, without injuring them or killing them,” said Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Three people who worked for the Family Tree Concept Group Home were arrested and charged with manslaughter. Now they, and the company that hired them, Care Assist Home Care are all named in a wrongful death lawsuit.
“We’re here to bring a message to the South Florida community that there is a serious unregulated problem with group homes in our area,” said Michael Haggard, lawyer at the Haggard Law Firm.
“He was the light of my life and love,” said Taylor. “There has not been a day that I have not mourned for my son.”
WSVN has contacted the attorney for the staffing company named in the lawsuit for comment but has not responded.
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