California Hospital Sued for Year-Long Delay in Notifying Family of Patient's Death

A hospital in California is facing a lawsuit after allegedly taking an extended period of 361 days to inform the family of a woman named Jessie Peterson about her demise. The delay has left the family with no choice but to initiate a statewide search for her recovery.

Incident Details

Jessie Peterson, aged 31, checked herself into Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, located approximately 14 miles from Sacramento, on April 6, 2023, due to a diabetic episode. Peterson had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 10. On April 8, 2023, she made a phone call to her mother, Ginger Congi, requesting her to pick her up from the hospital. Tragically, just two hours later, Peterson passed away. The following day, hospital officials transported her body to a storage facility where it remained for a staggering 361 days.

Family's Efforts

After several days without any communication from Peterson, her mother, worried for her daughter’s well-being, reached out to the hospital on April 11, 2023. To her shock, a staff member informed her that her daughter had discharged herself against medical advice, according to the Los Angeles Times. Distressed by this news, the family initiated an extensive search to locate Peterson. They reported her missing to both the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Justice, ensuring she was included on their missing persons website.

Appalling Discovery

Despite their relentless efforts, the family faced a fruitless search for several months. It was not until April 12, 2024, that a representative from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office contacted the family with the heart-wrenching news of Peterson’s death. Shockingly, her body had been preserved in a cold storage facility labeled “Red 22 A” for a staggering 361 days. The sheriff’s department further disclosed that a doctor at the hospital had filed a death certificate. However, state law mandates medical professionals to file death certificates within 15 hours of a patient’s passing.

Legal Action

The family is now seeking answers and demanding $25 million in damages, including punitive damages for what they perceive as “outrageous and inexcusable negligence” in the handling of Peterson’s death. They expressed their grievance over the inconsistencies found within the medical records, which they believe do not provide any insight into the events that led to Peterson’s demise or the prolonged delay in notifying her family. By the time her family located her body, the decomposition was so advanced that an autopsy could no longer be performed.

Hospital's Response

In response to the impending litigation, a spokesperson for Mercy San Juan Medical Center expressed their condolences to the family and stated, “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time. We are unable to comment on pending litigation.”

The incident has left the family devastated and seeking closure, while raising significant concerns about the hospital's protocols and adherence to legal requirements in notifying families of patient deaths.