Things That Make You Go... WTF?
- Thread starter Mighty_Emperor
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Case of mistaken identity leads sister to withdraw life support for a man who wasn't her brother, lawsuit claims
By Laura Ly, CNN
Updated 0235 GMT (1035 HKT) January 30, 2019
(CNN) For nearly two weeks, Shirell Powell stood vigil over her brother's bedside in a New York hospital, believing there was nothing more doctors could do to save him.
She was told he was brain-dead -- the result of a narcotics overdose -- so in late July 2018, a grieving Powell gave her permission to take him off life support and her brother was pronounced dead.
A couple of weeks later, Powell was notified that the man she was about to lay to rest was someone with a similar name, Freddy Clarence Williams. Her brother, 40-year-old Frederick Williams, was very much alive.
Full Story (still too many questions unanswered):
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/29/us/mistaken-identity-hospital-bronx-trnd/index.html
And she's just pulled the plug on a stranger!
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Case of mistaken identity leads sister to withdraw life support for a man who wasn't her brother, lawsuit claims
By Laura Ly, CNN
Updated 0235 GMT (1035 HKT) January 30, 2019
(CNN) For nearly two weeks, Shirell Powell stood vigil over her brother's bedside in a New York hospital, believing there was nothing more doctors could do to save him.
She was told he was brain-dead -- the result of a narcotics overdose -- so in late July 2018, a grieving Powell gave her permission to take him off life support and her brother was pronounced dead.
A couple of weeks later, Powell was notified that the man she was about to lay to rest was someone with a similar name, Freddy Clarence Williams. Her brother, 40-year-old Frederick Williams, was very much alive.
Full Story (still too many questions unanswered):
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/29/us/mistaken-identity-hospital-bronx-trnd/index.html
And she's just pulled the plug on a stranger!
How the hell did she fail to realise it wasn't her brother?
Based on the alleged facts (admittedly filtered through Ms. Powell's attorney) I'd say the hospital is facing sizable civil, regulatory, and perhaps even criminal liability for the incident.
The clear origin of the mistaken ID has to be ascribed to the hospital, who somehow crossed up the records for the deceased and Ms. Powell's brother (who'd formerly been a patient there). The article indicates the hospital records included each man's full name and Social Security number (neither of which matched the other).
The clear origin of the mistaken ID has to be ascribed to the hospital, who somehow crossed up the records for the deceased and Ms. Powell's brother (who'd formerly been a patient there). The article indicates the hospital records included each man's full name and Social Security number (neither of which matched the other).