Paramedics speak in the trial of a former nursing home administrator charged with manslaughter

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida. (WSVN) — Those who rushed to the rescue during an emergency at a South Florida nursing home have taken a stand. The man who ran the facility was put on trial after the deaths of many residents.

Jorge Carballo was in court on Tuesday when the second day of the trial began.

Various paramedics and first responders described the conditions they found themselves in at a Hollywood Hills nursing home back in 2017. They described patients with a temperature of 107 degrees and also described conditions as if a person opened the door of a hot car.

“Up to this point and since then, this was the highest number of sick patients I had in one facility at a time,” said Amy Parriel, Hollywood Fire Department. “I have never had so many patients in one shift from the same place.”

Carballo was responsible when Hurricane Irma hit South Florida in 2017, causing power outages at the facility.

Three days later, victims ranging in age from 57 to 99 began to overheat.

In court, a video from a surveillance camera was shown, in which doctors evacuate residents.

Irma disabled the transformer powering the cooling system of a two-story, 150-bed nursing home.

Carballo claimed they bought seven days of extra food, water and fuel for their generator.

His lawyers argued that Florida Power and Light never returned their calls, as did former Gov. Rick Scott when they pleaded for help.

Staff used portable air conditioners to keep patients cool. However, they were installed incorrectly and pumped hot air to the second floor of the building, where 11 of the 12 victims lived.

The hospital was right across the road, prosecutors said, and Carballo acted with gross and criminal negligence.

Hundreds of patients had to be evacuated from the facility.

Carballo faces nine counts of manslaughter.

This establishment was closed shortly after the incident.

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