Isenberg & Hewitt, PC | A Business And Personal Injury Law Firm | Since 1989
Isenberg & Hewitt, PC | A Business And Personal Injury Law Firm | Since 1989
To talk with a lawyer call (770) 901-2666
Isenberg & Hewitt, PC | A Business And Personal Injury Law Firm | Since 1989
To talk with a lawyer call (770) 901-2666

Distinguished Georgia Trial Attorneys

Woman in hospital goes missing, found dead in stairwell

On Behalf of | Oct 21, 2013 | Premises Liability

When Georgia patients are admitted to hospitals, they expect that their condition will improve. However, a woman in another state did not have the same experience. Just as she was recovering from a condition, she went missing. Hospital staff found her body in a stairwell weeks later.

The 57-year-old mother of two checked into the hospital for a bladder infection on Sept. 19. Two days later, she mysteriously disappeared. According to hospital documents, a nurse checked on her at 10:15 a.m. and again 15 minutes later. Between the checks, the woman had left her hospital room. Hospital records reported that the nurse then initiated a search of the hospital. About a half hour after the patient disappeared, two friends and the woman’s boyfriend came to visit and were told that she had been missing for about 30 minutes. The hospital then notified the family and the sheriff’s department. The woman’s friends and family had put up a special Facebook page to keep each other hopeful. They looked for her in alleys and shelters.

The woman’s body was found in an exterior stairwell that serves as a fire exit and is not commonly used by staff or other individuals. An engineering staff member found the body during a routine check. The woman’s family was notably upset by the discovery as they believed that the hospital had thoroughly searched for her after she went missing. The medical examiner confirmed the victim’s identity. Posters on the woman’s Facebook page are calling for an investigation into the incident. Hospital officials and police officers are investigating the matter.

Georgia premises liability lawyers may be able to help the families of victims who die from the negligent actions of the owners or administrators of an establishment. They may be able to pursue compensation when a negligent property owner is found liable for the victim’s death.

Source: CNN, “Body found in hospital stairwell is missing patient, examiner says“, Lateef Mungin and Dan Simon, October 10, 2013