Driver found guilty of leaving 96-year-old woman overnight in unheated van, causing her death

A man who left an elderly woman on a senior home bus overnight during a cold spell has been found guilty of causing her death.

Bert Mongreig, 66, was found guilty Monday of criminal neglect of a resident by a facility — resulting in death, according to DuPage County court records.

It was a stipulated bench trial, meaning the prosecution and defense agreed to the facts presented to Judge Daniel Guerin.

A woman died after being left overnight in a van. Two people now face neglect charges

Regina Adamik, 96, died overnight Feb. 2-3, 2021.

She had been left in an unheated van in a parking lot at Cordia Senior Living on Cass Avenue in Westmont. Adamik died of cold exposure, according to a medical examiner. The overnight temperature had dipped to 18 degrees.

Adamik was left in a wheelchair in the van around 3 p.m. Feb. 2. Her body was found at 10:20 a.m. the next day.

Mongreig had driven Adamik to a medical office to have wounds treated on a leg and foot. Adamik’s daughter attended the appointment with her mother, and followed the van back to Cordia. She went in to the building’s vestibule to pick up her mother’s mail, but was not allowed into the rest of the building due to COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions on visitors, according to court records.

Mongreig wrote in a log that Adamik had been returned about 3 p.m.

A worker noticed later that Adamik had not placed an order for dinner. A wound-care specialist also asked where Adamik was. Around 10 p.m. a certified nursing assistant texted Cordia’s resident-care plan manager to say Adamik was still not in the facility. The manager replied “thanks for updating me,” records show.

The next morning, staff again told the manager they could not find Adamik, and started searching around 10:15 a.m. Her body was found on the floor of the van, behind the driver’s seat, according to records.

The manager, Navdeep Dhall, also was charged with criminal neglect resulting in death. At Dhall’s trial, Adamik’s son testified that his mother called him around 3 p.m., confused as to why she was in the van. He attributed the confusion to her having dementia. Phone records presented at Dhall’s trial showed Adamik tried to make 10 other calls around 6 p.m.

Guerin acquitted Dhall in October 2022.

Mongreig remains free on bail while he awaits sentencing. His next court appearance is March 3.

Senior home manager acquitted of some charges related to death of resident left in cold van

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241226/crime/driver-found-guilty-of-leaving-96-year-old-woman-overnight-in-unheated-van-causing-her-death/