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Patient falls to her death at nursing home

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CONCORD, N.C. -- State inspectors have launched an investigation at a Concord nursing home after a patient fell to her death last week.

Police say the 87-year-old woman was found with a massive head injury on the ground beside an outside loading dock. Police say theres nothing criminal here, but the state is investigating after the woman's death and we have state records that show there's been trouble before.

Sources say a fence near the loading dock is brand new, installed after the patient at Concords Five Oaks Manor Nursing Home was found on the ground next to a loading dock at the back of the facility last Thursday night. She'd fallen 4 feet to the ground, hit her head and died after being rushed to the emergency room.

Some want to know how she managed to get outside.

Inspectors with the state Division of Health and Human Services Regualtory Department are investigating.

A spokesman for the department, Jim Jones, told us, "We sent a team of surveyors into the facility and they are currently in the facility today."

But they aren't inside because administrators reported the woman's death. A state spokesman says someone else reported it to them. Concord police tell us the same thing.

Just last week Medicare ranked Five Oaks among the worst nursing homes in the country with just one out of five stars.

Two state inspections from this year showed deficiencies. One cites accident and supervision problems, with one example where a patient "was on the floor" and staff had to be "disciplined." Another said a patient was "outside the building."

We called Five Oaks for a response and a woman, who refused to give her name, told us management said, "Beause of the ongoing investigation it would be inappropraite to make a comment at this time."

The state Division of Health and Human Services says their complete investigation will be done in about 10 days.