The daughter of an 83-year-old Navy veteran who died of coronavirus at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home during the height of the pandemic blames top state officials and is calling for further accountability.
Laurie Beaudette, daughter of James Mandeville, said she visited her father at the Soldiers' Home every single day until the pandemic hit. Then, in April 2020, she noticed "he was a zombie during Facetime," so she went down to see him. He died of COVID-19 shortly afterwards, and she says his physical therapist stayed by his side and prayed.
The COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home claimed the lives of 84 veterans and sickened many others.
"I blame all the administrators, all the way up to the top state officials... I find it hard to believe that the governor didn't know anything about this. I think they all knew about this," Beaudette told Jim Braude on Greater Boston.
She said a phone call with Gov. Charlie Baker following the tragedy at the home was "very scripted."
"There should be more accountability," Beaudette added, noting that basic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were not instituted at the home as COVID patients were mixed with non-COVID patients.
Massachusetts has reached a $56 million settlement with surviving veterans and the families of those who died.
Beaudette's lawyer Thomas Lesser, who is also representing several other families in the lawsuit, said, "there's no amount of money that could replace their loved ones." Lesser said that the state admitted no wrongdoing In the settlement.
He said his clients believe, "this was a tragedy that did not have to happen, that should not have happened."
Watch: Daughter of veteran who died of COVID shares grief following Holyoke Soldiers’ Home settlement
