The family of Rose Lee Diggs, an elderly dementia patient who was found dead on UPMC Montefiore's roof in 2008 after wandering from her hospital room, will receive $900,000 in a settlement approved Wednesday.Under the agreement, $500,000 will come from UPMC and $400,000 will be provided by the Medicare Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund, a special fund in the state treasury that provides compensation in cases resulting from medical negligence. After attorney fees, Roderick Diggs, Mrs. Diggs' son, will receive roughly $375,000 and Mrs. Diggs' estate will receive about $125,000.

Mrs. Diggs, an 89-year-old patient from Homewood, was found dead on the hospital's roof in December 2008 on a night when temperatures were in the 20s. Mr. Diggs sued UPMC in February 2009, charging wrongful death and malpractice, and the settlement was reached in May.

No criminal charges were filed against UPMC.

UPMC announced a few weeks after Mrs. Diggs' death a new hospital-wide alert system to respond when a patient can't be located.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.