A woman residing at the Coney Island Nursing Home, Nina Kraktsov, who is 89 years old and a Holocaust survivor, suffered serious injuries after being attacked by a 95-year-old dementia patient. This incident reportedly occurred when the attacker struck her with a piece of a metal wheelchair just after 10 PM on a Sunday evening, as per law enforcement accounts.
First responders found Kraktsov in her bed with severe head wounds. She was quickly transported to NYU Brooklyn Hospital and was initially in critical condition, according to police reports.
Shortly before her injury on Monday morning, her daughter, Lucy Flom, expressed her sadness over the situation when she spoke to the media.
Flom reflected on her mother’s history as a Holocaust survivor who made immense sacrifices for her family’s well-being.
“She was just a child when she endured the horrors of the ghetto. She had a large family, but tragically lost most of them,” Flom recounted.
Kraktsov initially began her nursing career in Ukraine, where, according to her daughter, she was well-liked by everyone. Flom also shared that her mother was very young when she became a mom.
“She gave up so much,” Flom noted. “Being a single parent at 18, she came to the U.S. to ensure I had a good education.”
Flom described her mother as a devoted parent who was loving and caring, much like many mothers.
Throughout her life, Kraktsov made many friends in the Brighton Beach area, although some of those friends have since passed away.
“Everyone cared for her, and, well, I did too,” Flom added, with a hint of nostalgia.
About five years ago, after the death of her husband, Kraktsov moved into the nursing home. A former neighbor mentioned that she had lived alone until her daughter decided to place her in a care facility.
“She had been here a very long time,” a resident of the home shared, reflecting on her history.
After the attack, the elderly assailant was taken to Coney Island Hospital for both medical and psychological evaluations. As of Tuesday, she was still being held there while authorities prepared to involve the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office regarding potential charges.
The piece of wheelchair used in the attack lay abandoned outside the nursing home, marked off with blue crime scene tape.
