Another terrible hospital mix-up

Solar Bell · 05-31-2006, 05:28 PM

How does this happen?

My heart goes out to both families..

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197694,00.html

-cw-

40cal · 05-31-2006, 06:03 PM

Having been to some very graphic and horrible crashes I can understand how this happened.

Serious car crashes are very violent, and can be very confusing. Especially when your vehicle is hit head on by a truck-tractor.

Your clothes may get ripped off, distinguishing characteristics may be obliterated depending on where the trauma occurs. Also a lot of people, especially people who carry purses do not have ID's in their pockets, making identification more difficult later.

Couple the fact of the sheer violence of action, with the medical treatment afterwords. Machines, breathing tubes, etc... will be hooked up to the survivors of some of these crashes.

I can remember a horrific crash, if memory serves me correctly 6 people died. One of the passengers who was female had no ID.

We run the registration and find that the vehicle registers to a female. We run her driver's license, and print out a photo. We take the photo to the hospital and compare it to the person on the gurney. We have the medical staff compare w/us. We ALL decide that we have the right person. Now I should point out that this person is still alive.

We go to make notification. In speaking w/the person at the residence we determine that we in fact do NOT have the correct person, since he had just spoken with her.

Well oh sh*t. Who do we have?

We do eventually figure it out. Two people who look similar enough, especially hooked up to all the medical equipment.

Not that this is what happened in the particular case cited above, but it is well within the realm of possibility.

A little side note. Some of the most grotesque things I have ever seen have been at crashes. I have been to shootings, stabbings, clubbings hangings (suicide), you name it, and most of those do not hold a candle to the mess that these crashes can cause.

Solar Bell · 05-31-2006, 06:10 PM

Thanks, 40cal,

Point taken.

-cw-

40cal · 05-31-2006, 09:16 PM

What is most puzzling to me is how this went on for so long.

Manny Laureano · 05-31-2006, 09:44 PM

If anything I thing that what this site proves to me on a weekly basis is that things are rarely what they seem at first blush.

Let's remember that next time we read an article about anything importanat where you just KNOW that there has been a race to see who can get the story out first.

ML

Solar Bell · 06-01-2006, 06:26 AM

An in depth explaination, and pictures of the girls.

I can see what happened now.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2006606010464

-cw-

Eclipsehornplayer · 06-01-2006, 08:10 AM

Yeah that's close...

With facial swelling their height and weight are most likely in the same ballpark...

Too bad for both families.

40cal · 06-01-2006, 01:31 PM

Regardless of why it happened, this is a crappy deal for everyone.

I cannot imagine burying one of my kids, nor could I imagine thinking one was alive and looking at her, but later finding out she was dead.

Siegtrmpt · 06-01-2006, 04:21 PM

I watched TV this morning as the reporters struggled to make something more of this terrible situation than what it is.....a terrible situation. If the parents were unable to recognize their children it's certainly understandable how police and hospital staff could not recognize them. This is one of those situations where everybody was doing their part and an unfortunate, but understandable, mistake was made. Ultimately the system did work and they were able to identify the girls. I'm sure everyone involved is upset about this.

05-31-2006, 05:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
Solar Bell Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 4,002	Another terrible hospital mix-up How does this happen? My heart goes out to both families.. www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197694,00.html -cw- __________________ Chuck Willard *The Willard of Oz* "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Ronald Reagan

05-31-2006, 06:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Solar Bell Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 4,002	Thanks, 40cal, Point taken. -cw- __________________ Chuck Willard *The Willard of Oz* "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Ronald Reagan

06-01-2006, 06:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
Solar Bell Moderator Fortissimo User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 4,002	An in depth explaination, and pictures of the girls. I can see what happened now. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2006606010464 -cw- __________________ Chuck Willard *The Willard of Oz* "Don't be afraid to see what you see." Ronald Reagan

06-01-2006, 08:10 AM	#7 (permalink)
Eclipsehornplayer Forte User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Flat Rock, Michigan Posts: 2,395	Yeah that's close... With facial swelling their height and weight are most likely in the same ballpark... Too bad for both families. __________________ Eclipse MHY Bb Trumpet with interchangable leadpipes Bach 229 25A C Trumpet Getzen Capri Bb Cornet GR & Monette mouthpieces

06-01-2006, 04:21 PM	#9 (permalink)
Siegtrmpt Mezzo Piano User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 554	I watched TV this morning as the reporters struggled to make something more of this terrible situation than what it is.....a terrible situation. If the parents were unable to recognize their children it's certainly understandable how police and hospital staff could not recognize them. This is one of those situations where everybody was doing their part and an unfortunate, but understandable, mistake was made. Ultimately the system did work and they were able to identify the girls. I'm sure everyone involved is upset about this. __________________ Bill S.- NY Bach 6, 38 Mt. Vernon 43 Bach "C" cornet, NY Bach trombone 6vii Monette mouthpieces

05-31-2006, 06:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
40cal Forte User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,273	Having been to some very graphic and horrible crashes I can understand how this happened. Serious car crashes are very violent, and can be very confusing. Especially when your vehicle is hit head on by a truck-tractor. Your clothes may get ripped off, distinguishing characteristics may be obliterated depending on where the trauma occurs. Also a lot of people, especially people who carry purses do not have ID's in their pockets, making identification more difficult later. Couple the fact of the sheer violence of action, with the medical treatment afterwords. Machines, breathing tubes, etc... will be hooked up to the survivors of some of these crashes. I can remember a horrific crash, if memory serves me correctly 6 people died. One of the passengers who was female had no ID. We run the registration and find that the vehicle registers to a female. We run her driver's license, and print out a photo. We take the photo to the hospital and compare it to the person on the gurney. We have the medical staff compare w/us. We ALL decide that we have the right person. Now I should point out that this person is still alive. We go to make notification. In speaking w/the person at the residence we determine that we in fact do NOT have the correct person, since he had just spoken with her. Well oh sh*t. Who do we have? We do eventually figure it out. Two people who look similar enough, especially hooked up to all the medical equipment. Not that this is what happened in the particular case cited above, but it is well within the realm of possibility. A little side note. Some of the most grotesque things I have ever seen have been at crashes. I have been to shootings, stabbings, clubbings hangings (suicide), you name it, and most of those do not hold a candle to the mess that these crashes can cause.

05-31-2006, 09:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
40cal Forte User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,273	What is most puzzling to me is how this went on for so long.

05-31-2006, 09:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
Manny Laureano Utimate User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: USA Posts: 5,989	If anything I thing that what this site proves to me on a weekly basis is that things are rarely what they seem at first blush. Let's remember that next time we read an article about anything importanat where you just KNOW that there has been a race to see who can get the story out first. ML

06-01-2006, 01:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
40cal Forte User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,273	Regardless of why it happened, this is a crappy deal for everyone. I cannot imagine burying one of my kids, nor could I imagine thinking one was alive and looking at her, but later finding out she was dead.

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