The family hovered in limbo for over a year • Sues US hospitals for 250 million
On April 8, 2023, 31-year-old Jessie died in a Sacramento hospital.
But it took over a year before the family was notified.
– They haven’t really gotten the final feeling of knowing what the hell really happened, says the family’s lawyer, according to CNN.
Jessie Peterson was taken to a Sacramento hospital on April 6 of last year after suffering a diabetic attack. Two days later, she called her mother Ginger to ask to be picked up.
That was the last time they were ever heard from.
Reported missing
After that, the family oscillated between hope and despair for over a year. According to CNN, the hospital first told the mother that there was no Jessie Peterson there – then changed her mind that she left despite the doctor’s advice.
But when the family couldn’t find Jessie, she was reported missing and an extensive search effort was launched.
Flyers were put up around the city. The Department of Justice also posted a picture of her on its missing persons website.
But finally the shocking news came, over a year after Jessie’s conversation with her mother. A death certificate had been issued and the family was asked to contact the hospital.
Found in cold room
Jessie had died just two hours after the call. She had been found in one of the hospital’s cold rooms and, according to CNN, the body was too decomposed for an autopsy to be possible.
Now the family is suing the hospital for the equivalent of SEK 250 million.
“Jessie’s family was not notified of Jessie’s passing, despite extensive prior contact between the hospital and Jessie’s family, as well as the fact that Ginger was listed as Jessie’s next of kin,” the lawsuit states.
“Thinking of her in a body bag”
It is currently unclear what caused the death notice to be delayed, but according to the family, they have been affected enormously by the incident.
– When they think of her now, they think of her on a shelf in a body bag instead of how she was, says the family’s lawyer Marc Greenberg, according to CNN.
– They haven’t really gotten the final feeling of knowing what the hell really happened.