Expert: Coolers At Nursing Home Where 12 Died Made It Worse

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HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami/AP) — Coolers at a Hollywood nursing home where 12 people died in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma actually made things worse, according to testimony released this week.

An engineer hired by the state to evaluate the deaths at The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills in September testified that the home required 125 tons of cooling capacity to keep residents safe. But the nine portable coolers only mustered about 15 tons.

CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reports William Scott Crawford testified last month that the capacity of the spot coolers was "insufficient to cool the space in the patient areas."

Crawford also testified that the cooler actually made things "worse" because they were properly ventilated and pushed additional heat into a confined space.

Crawford's testimony was released Thursday. It's part of an ongoing case between the state's health care agency and the nursing home over the loss of its license to operate.