$1,500,000 Result in Psychiatric Malpractice/Negligent Hospital Security Case
In December 2023, a 41-year-old woman with a history of well-controlled schizoaffective disorder, anxiety, and depression began to experience a psychiatric decline after running out of her prescription medications. She began exhibiting schizoaffective symptoms and stopped grooming, eating, sleeping, and communicating. Her medications were refilled, but she continued to exhibit signs of psychosis in the days that followed. On Christmas Day, the woman’s mother observed the woman experience apparent hallucinations and brought her to a nearby hospital. In the hospital, it was noted that she was experiencing delusions and believed that she was on a ranch in another country. She was placed in an emergency department room with orders for “close watch” precautions (1-on-1 supervision). The woman was evaluated in the emergency department by emergency physicians, hospital psychiatric clinicians, and psychiatric providers from the local Community Services Board, all of whom agreed that the woman posed an imminent danger to herself and should be placed on an involuntary hold in the secure psychiatric unit. However, the hospital’s on-call psychiatrist declined to approve her transfer to the psychiatric unit, opining that she did not meet the criteria for admission, despite never examining the woman, speaking with her, or viewing her hospital records. Accordingly, instead of being taken to the secure psychiatric unit, the woman was kept in an unlocked emergency department room for approximately 10 hours.
During her 10 hours in the emergency department, the woman escaped from her unlocked room twice. The first time, she was stopped by a nurse and brought back to the room, which remained unlocked thereafter. The second time, she was observed escaping by several hospital employees, including a security guard, but was not stopped. She walked out of the hospital building, through the hospital campus, and onto a major road. She wandered down the middle of the roadway for nearly two miles before being struck and killed by a vehicle.
Prior to her death, the decedent worked at a poultry processing factory and served as a caregiver for her aging mother. The beneficiaries were the woman’s mother and adult daughter.
The parties settled for $1,500,000.00. The Plaintiff was represented by Alexandra Humphreys, Esq. of Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver, PLC in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
