In a shocking incident, a grandmother was mistakenly declared dead and placed in a freezer at a hospital, only to be discovered alive days later. Maria de Jesus Arroyo suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Boyle Heights, LA, on July 26, 2010. She was taken to White Memorial Medical Center, where medical staff pronounced her dead. However, when mortuary staff retrieved her from the hospital morgue several days later, they found her alive, with injuries indicating she had tried to escape the body bag she was placed in.
A lawsuit filed by the family alleges that Maria was mistakenly placed in a morgue freezer while still alive, leading to her eventual death due to extreme cold exposure. A pathologist hired by the family concluded that Maria had been alive when placed in the freezer, sustaining injuries while attempting to escape the cold environment after regaining consciousness.
Despite the hospital’s denial of any wrongdoing and assertion that proper procedures were followed, the family pursued legal action. The case initially faced dismissal on statute-of-limitations grounds but was later reinstated by California’s Second District Court of Appeal. The court ruled that the family had no reason to suspect Maria was alive when placed in the morgue, allowing them to proceed with the wrongful death lawsuit.
The hospital has maintained its stance, stating that they followed all protocols correctly and expressing confidence in prevailing in court once the facts are reviewed. The family’s attorney described the incident as a nightmare, highlighting the distressing scenario of someone trying to free themselves from a zippered body bag.
The Mirror sought comments from White Memorial Medical Center regarding the incident.