From staff reports
Franklin state police are investigating how a 70-year-old Polk Center resident was seriously injured at the facility last week.
Police said they learned through a physician at Polk Center that the woman, who is a quadriplegic and a full lift patient with only minor mobility in her arms, sustained unreported injuries that consisted of fractured bones and a lacerated liver.
The incident occurred either Jan. 1 or 2, and police say they launched their investigation Friday.
The woman can’t speak, so she can’t be interviewed by police or internal investigators, police said.
While the incident is being investigated as an assault, state policeman Adam Haun, the investigating trooper, said, “It is still undetermined whether it was a criminal assault or an accident that was not reported by a staff member. It could have been from a fall.”
Shirley Pickens, facility director at Polk Center, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Polk Center, located in Polk Borough, is an intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disabilities. It provides 24-hour supported living, medical care and developmental activities.
