Tuesday 9 August 2022 09:22 PM 'Mentally ill' ICU nurse charged with murdering six in LA crash worked in 5 ... trends now
The company which farmed out an ICU nurse with her own 'profound' mental health problems is refusing to comment on how she was vetted for the job, as she is charged with murdering six people in a horror car crash last week.
Nicole Linton, 37, is in custody in California on six murder charges for killing a pregnant woman, her boyfriend, the woman's one-year-old son, a man and two other women on August 4.
Linton inexplicably drove her Mercedes straight into traffic, slicing one of the victims' cars in half and sending the baby in his car-seat flying into the air, at terrifying speed.
Her motive remains unclear but her attorney told a judge yesterday she has a 'profound history' of mental health problems which should have stopped her from getting behind the wheel of a car - let alone inside an ICU facility to treat critically ill patients.
Linton was working at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center, but she'd been sent there by AMN Healthcare, a travel nursing company that farms out skilled contractors to where they are most needed.
It became a heavily relied-upon model during the COVID-19 pandemic, when healthcare professionals in the hardest-hit cities were in short supply.
Nicole Linton, 37, is in custody in California on six murder charges for killing a pregnant woman, her boyfriend, the woman's one-year-old son, a man and two other women on August 4
Linton sped through a red light at 90mph, plowing into cars at a busy intersection on August 4th. Six people and one unborn baby were killed
The nurse has held six roles in five different states in the last two years despite having 'profound' mental health problems
Since 2020, she has worked with two of the temporary nursing companies AMN and RN Network.
Amid growing concern over why she was even allowed to hold a position in the hospital with such a grave mental condition as her attorney described, AMN Healthcare refused to comment on what kind of background checks were performed when she was first given a job with them.
'At this time, we are not able to comment on an active criminal investigation. Any further questions should be forwarded to law enforcement authorities,' a spokesman said, refusing to be drawn on how she was vetted for her role with the travel nursing company.
RN Network did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Kaiser Permanente, the facility where she was working, put the onus on AMN.
'Everyone at Kaiser Permanente is deeply saddened by last Thursday’s horrific crash. It’s impossible to imagine the pain those involved are experiencing. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this
