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Mother woke up hallucinating in the middle of a 4-lane highway

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Contrarian

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? IL

My mother, in her 70s, had a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital, they put a stent in the clogged artery. I visited her the next day and she was doing remarkably well. She hadn't slept much, but was awake and talking - quite coherent considering what happened the day before.

The next day went by without incident. The following morning, she had started hallucinating, we're not sure if it was due to the drugs, lack of sleep, stress, etc. She managed to get out of her bed, walk down three flights of stairs, walked right out the front door, through the parking lot, and into the middle of the road (a busy 4-lane road) where she was trying to flag down somebody (she was having paranoid hallucinations / delusions at this point that she was in mortal danger). Fortunately somebody stopped and helped her, called the police who took her back to the hospital.

Later that day (12 hours) they said she was OK and let her go home with my father.

Personally I'm pretty outraged at this, that the hospital allowed a woman who was wearing hospital gown to just walk right out, past any non-existent security, into the sub-zero temperature. Fortunately she wasn't injured, but the lack of any security to see who is coming into or leaving the hospital concerns me. My father thinks since she wasn't hurt (no damages) there's no point talking to a lawyer. I think otherwise. I'm happy she wasn't hurt but I'm concerned this displays a serious problem at that hospital and somebody, next time, will get killed due to their negligence.

Can someone elaborate a bit if this is worth speaking to a lawyer to take action on?
 


ecmst12

Senior Member
You can't sue without damages. Have you complained to the hospital staff? The boss? The board of directors? The licensing organization? That would be your best course of action if you want to ensure this won't happen to someone else.
 

lealea1005

Senior Member
I agree. Start by writing a letter to the hospital administrator (or CEO), with copies to the DON, her Physician, and head of security. Send the letters certified, RRR. If you do not receive a reply, then register a complaint with the licensing boards.

Good luck. I hope your Mother is doing well.
 

lya

Senior Member
What is the name of your state? IL

My mother, in her 70s, had a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital, they put a stent in the clogged artery. I visited her the next day and she was doing remarkably well. She hadn't slept much, but was awake and talking - quite coherent considering what happened the day before.

The next day went by without incident. The following morning, she had started hallucinating, we're not sure if it was due to the drugs, lack of sleep, stress, etc. She managed to get out of her bed, walk down three flights of stairs, walked right out the front door, through the parking lot, and into the middle of the road (a busy 4-lane road) where she was trying to flag down somebody (she was having paranoid hallucinations / delusions at this point that she was in mortal danger). Fortunately somebody stopped and helped her, called the police who took her back to the hospital.

Later that day (12 hours) they said she was OK and let her go home with my father.

Personally I'm pretty outraged at this, that the hospital allowed a woman who was wearing hospital gown to just walk right out, past any non-existent security, into the sub-zero temperature. Fortunately she wasn't injured, but the lack of any security to see who is coming into or leaving the hospital concerns me. My father thinks since she wasn't hurt (no damages) there's no point talking to a lawyer. I think otherwise. I'm happy she wasn't hurt but I'm concerned this displays a serious problem at that hospital and somebody, next time, will get killed due to their negligence.

Can someone elaborate a bit if this is worth speaking to a lawyer to take action on?
Wow. This makes me remember the time one of my patients in ICU called a taxi, borrowed a knife from a fellow ICU patient, cut his IV line and walked out the door, leaving a trail of blood from the open IV access, and got into the taxi! Thankfully, the driver drove the patient around to the ER and helped him back inside.

We knew the patient was gone and we had a trail of blood to follow, but it still took precious minutes to find this guy and get him back.

The point I'm making is...s%it happens, in the presence of the best of care. Patients go crazy in hospitals, especially in ICU or on telemetry units where vital signs and assessments are made every two hours or more frequently and where the lights are on, nealy fully lit, at all times, 24 hours a day. Patients become disoriented from lack of uninterrupted sleep, not being able to tell day from night, from increased blood flow to the brain after a cardiac stent, and from the medications given for pain relief and cardiac/hemodynamic support.

I'd write the letters as was suggested to you. The hospital is already reviewing this incidence for root cause analysis and your letters need to be a part of the process.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane...
 

barry1817

Senior Member
legal action?

What is the name of your state? IL

My mother, in her 70s, had a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital, they put a stent in the clogged artery. I visited her the next day and she was doing remarkably well. She hadn't slept much, but was awake and talking - quite coherent considering what happened the day before.

The next day went by without incident. The following morning, she had started hallucinating, we're not sure if it was due to the drugs, lack of sleep, stress, etc. She managed to get out of her bed, walk down three flights of stairs, walked right out the front door, through the parking lot, and into the middle of the road (a busy 4-lane road) where she was trying to flag down somebody (she was having paranoid hallucinations / delusions at this point that she was in mortal danger). Fortunately somebody stopped and helped her, called the police who took her back to the hospital.

Later that day (12 hours) they said she was OK and let her go home with my father.

Personally I'm pretty outraged at this, that the hospital allowed a woman who was wearing hospital gown to just walk right out, past any non-existent security, into the sub-zero temperature. Fortunately she wasn't injured, but the lack of any security to see who is coming into or leaving the hospital concerns me. My father thinks since she wasn't hurt (no damages) there's no point talking to a lawyer. I think otherwise. I'm happy she wasn't hurt but I'm concerned this displays a serious problem at that hospital and somebody, next time, will get killed due to their negligence.

Can someone elaborate a bit if this is worth speaking to a lawyer to take action on?

Malpractice takes a three prong issue.

Negligence
Negligence that caused harm
Financial component

Would be difficult to find that the situation has met the criteria.

Working to find a solution for the problem so that others won't have this happen might be the best course of action and so often, problems that affect a person becomes the impetus for changes that benefit many
 

xylene

Senior Member
Hospital "Security" - True Story.

I was visiting a sick friend at a hospital and I stayed after visiting hours.

To leave the hospital after hours (7:00 pm) you had to buzz your way out via a video intercom to security.

Well the security guard was deliberately 'messing' with me.

He says. "Sorry I can't let you out the buzzer is broken."

He was chortling and his partner was laughing hysterically. The door buzzer routine was just to mess with me.

He said "I'll send someone down. Hahahahaha."

Ten minutes later I page again.

"I want to get out. Now." I say.

"Nothing I can do sir. Giggle... I'm sure someone will let you out."

"Let me out or I will kick my way out." I threaten.

"Ok sir... Laugh"

I'm sure they thought my action plan was just bluster and was a source of further amusement.

They didn't think that for long.

I begin to furiously mule kick the door. I mean full body weight jumping mule kick, not some little play kick. I was smashing them to force them open.

One mighty kick and the glass pane cracks a little. And 1 second later... MAGICALLY the door buzzer is working again and the door is released by the security supervisor who persumably had returned to his post gets on the intercom and basically says 'The hospital is very sorry about this and we don't know how the glass got cracked.'

:eek:
 

Ozark_Sophist

Senior Member
I am glad your mother was not harmed. Write the letter as others have already suggested.

For future hospital stays for your mother (at this or other hospitals), provide a written notice your mother has had adverse reactions and ask that they consider a bed alarm to alert staff if your mother gets up from bed.
 

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