Sleeping patient taken to morgue, huge mistake!
Talk about the mistake of your life. But more unbelieveable is that the patient didn't wake up.
Sleeping senior ends up at B.C. morgue
Last Updated Mon, 21 Mar 2005 12:03:06 EST
CBC News
VANCOUVER, CANADA - A sleeping senior at a B.C. extended care facility was sent to a hospital morgue on Saturday, after being mistaken for her dead roommate.
According to Fraser Health Authority spokesperson Helen Carkner, the mix-up occurred when a driver who works for the company that transports the dead from the facility to the morgue didn't check the woman's wrist band for identification.
"He was shown by the nurse which room the [deceased] resident was in and the nurse pointed to the resident and gave the name," she told the Vancouver Sun. "She went back to the nursing station to complete the paperwork [and] for whatever reason, he picked the wrong individual."
The driver left the 87-year-old woman on a gurney in a hospital corridor. The mistake was discovered after a porter saw her move, and an employee at the extended care facility realized the mix-up and called the hospital.
The woman was taken back to the care facility in an ambulance and is doing fine, said Carkner.
She said the woman's family was understanding about what happened and satisfied that action was taken.
The driver, who was recently hired, was immediately fired.