Sharon Dutkevitch trusted The Argyle assisted living facility in Denver to care for her husband, Robert Dutkevitch. He moved into the facility in 2022, and he liked living there. Robert Dutkevitch had multiple health problems, including high blood pressure and some cognitive decline, but he also had a will to live. In case of an emergency, he wanted CPR. On January 6, 2026, he fell out of his wheelchair outside The Argyle during a smoke break. It allegedly took the staff 13 minutes to find and help him. Sadly, the 73-year-old died, and surveillance cameras captured the entire incident.
It’s possible Robert Dutkevitch might have survived with help.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment began an investigation following Robert Dutkevitch’s death, CBS Colorado reported. The agency reviewed surveillance and found that the night he died, he went outside to a designated smoking area in his wheelchair around 8:30 p.m. Just two minutes later, video reportedly shows him slumped in his chair. The man reportedly was there for eight minutes before another resident noticed him and notified the staff. But the employees apparently weren’t in much of a hurry.
Staff reportedly waited an additional five minutes before giving the man CPR.
Per the health department report reviewed by CBS Colorado, staffers went outside to find Robert Dutkevitch. They allegedly waited another five minutes before attempting CPR. One staffer had a bit of a strange excuse for 911 operators. She reportedly said she didn’t want to perform chest compressions because she had the flu.
The health department reported one staffer said they were “unaware of how to respond.” Another allegedly admitted, “I did not respond very well, I’m sorry.”
Sharon Dutkevitch misses her husband terribly.
Sharon Dutkevitch thought moving to The Argyle would help her husband. The widow never imagined his life would end like this. “My heart aches. I cry every night,” she said. “Every second that went by, he didn’t have a chance that way. I wish I had been there to help him.”
She added that the worst part is watching the video and seeing her husband slumped over, with no one moving. She believes they could have saved his life.
“I don’t understand why caregivers stand around and do not give him CPR,” she said, per CBS Colorado. “Those people are standing around him doing nothing to help him. That’s what really hurts.”
The widow has obtained legal counsel.
The health department found multiple violations at The Argyle and determined that its 125 residents were in danger. Sharon Dutkevitch hired attorney Anita Springsteen to represent her in an impending lawsuit against the facility.
“They took so long to respond and didn’t seem to be aware there was an emergency going on,” Springsteen said. “Once they were aware, they lingered around and didn’t do anything, didn’t immediately give CPR, didn’t do the things you would think a facility like that — with trained staff — would do on an immediate basis.”
Sharon Dutkevitch said she came forward in hopes of preventing another family’s heartache. The Argyle told CBS Colorado it no longer accept smoking residents, and the outdoor area where Robert Dutkevitch died remains closed. Perhaps administrators need to focus on properly trained staff, too, who aren’t afraid to do their jobs.
