Polish police investigate death of 88-year-old patient after fall from Konin hospital window

Incident at Konin hospital

During the night between Thursday, 10 September, and Friday, 11 September 2026, an 88-year-old patient died following a fall from a hospital window in the city of Konin, located in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Emergency medical staff in the facility initiated resuscitation efforts immediately after locating the fallen patient on the hospital grounds. Despite emergency life-saving measures administered by medical personnel on site, the woman could not be saved and was pronounced dead. Municipal police received the initial emergency notification regarding the fatal fall a few minutes past 3:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Officers and emergency services were dispatched to secure the immediate area around the medical facility.

Senior Aspirant Maria Baranowska from the press team of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Konin confirmed the timeline of the initial emergency response.

We received a report that on Friday, a few minutes past 3 in the morning, an 88-year-old patient fell from a hospital window. Despite resuscitation undertaken at the scene, the woman did not survive.

Scope of the police investigation

Following the report, officers from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Konin arrived at the facility alongside a duty prosecutor who supervised on-site investigative actions. Law enforcement authorities officially launched an investigation under Article 155 of the Polish Penal Code, a statutory provision covering involuntary manslaughter. Investigators operate under this legal classification as standard procedure whenever a death occurs under unclear or unexplained circumstances in an institutional setting. Police officials explicitly noted that initiating inquiries under this criminal code article does not equate to an assertion that a crime was committed by staff or third parties. The procedural classification provides investigators with the legal framework required to conduct detailed forensic examinations, interview potential witnesses, and inspect the physical premises.

Establishing timeline and patient condition

The primary focus of the joint police and prosecutorial inquiry is determining the woman's physical and mental state prior to the fall, alongside reconstructing her final hours in the ward. Investigators have not publicly disclosed the floor level of the patient's room or the specific medical department where she was undergoing treatment. Officials have also not confirmed whether the 88-year-old was accompanied by room occupants, medical personnel, or visitors at the time of the incident. Furthermore, authorities continue to examine how the patient managed to access and open the window.

Maria Baranowska described the purpose of the ongoing inquiry and the procedural steps undertaken by law enforcement.

In such situations, activities are preliminarily conducted under Article 155 of the Penal Code on involuntary manslaughter, while explanatory activities are being carried out under the supervision of the prosecutor's office to establish the circumstances of the incident and the condition of the woman.

Media inquiries and institutional silence

Following the initial reports, journalists from multiple Polish media organizations, including TVN24 and RMF24, attempted to contact the management of the Konin hospital for clarification. Reporters submitted formal inquiries by telephone and email regarding hospital supervision protocols, window safety locks, and nighttime staffing levels at the facility. As of Saturday evening, hospital administrators had not issued an official public statement or provided responses to media queries regarding the patient's death. The investigation led by the Konin prosecutor's office remains underway as investigators await the findings of forensic analyses and medical records reviews.