MI - Timesha Beauchamp, 20, found alive at funeral home after being declared dead, Detroit, Aug 2020

[BetteDavisEyes]

Woman found alive at funeral home dies at Detroit hospital

“This is the second time our beloved Timesha has been pronounced dead, but this time she isn’t coming back,” the family said.

DETROIT — A 20-year-old suburban Detroit woman who was declared dead only to be found alive at a funeral home in August has died, the attorney representing her family said Monday.

Timesha Beauchamp died Sunday at Children’s Hospital in Detroit, Geoffrey Fieger said in a news release...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

20-Year-Old Woman with Cerebral Palsy Who Was Found Alive in Funeral Home Dies in Hospital

Timesha Beauchamp died after she was previously declared dead by mistake

 

[Moxie Vi]

So sad and scary. I assume much of the damage to the brain could have been avoided had she been transported to the hospital for treatment immediately.

This case reminds me of an episode of Evil which is streaming on Netflix. A young soccer player “dies” of a heart attack and is declared dead by ER doctors after CPR, etc yet comes to life in the morgue prior to embalming and they investigate if it is a miracle. It was interesting because they discuss in detail medical reasons of why it could happen. Certain medical conditions I guess could be tricky.

In this case it seems like negligence at best. Hard to give the benefit of the doubt when seeing all the signs of life that were missed.

I hope that her family finds peace at some point. Hopefully processes are tweaked and modified to make sure this doesn’t happen again so that her passing wasn’t in vain.

 

[JerseyGirl]

From December:

Paramedics who wrongly pronounced Timesha Beauchamp 'dead' can regain licenses

Michigan authorities have agreed to reinstate the licenses of two suburban Detroit paramedics if they pass a national exam.

The condition is part of a settlement with Michael Storms and Scott Rickard of the Southfield Fire Department.

The state health department recently reached agreements with the men to drop the license suspensions. They will have multiple chances to pass written and practical exams for paramedics. Storms has additional work: He must write a paper on the protocols for determination of death and cardiac arrest.

Storms must read a book, "People Care: Perspective and Practices for Professional Caregivers," and write a three-page paper. He will have three chances to achieve a passing grade on the papers.

An attorney for the paramedics, T. Joseph Seward, declined to comment on the deal, citing a $50 million lawsuit filed by Beauchamp's family. The city of Southfield also declined to comment.

 

[scriabina]

Storms must read a book, "People Care: Perspective and Practices for Professional Caregivers," and write a three-page paper. He will have three chances to achieve a passing grade on the papers.

What is he, in 6th grade? This is absurd.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

EMTs who declared breathing Southfield woman dead can't be sued, court rules

Kali Henderson, an attorney representing the city of Southfield and its first responders, said in a statement that the decision was "a correct statement of the law."

www.detroitnews.com

Almost three years ago, Michigan EMTs and paramedics responded to a call to help an unresponsive woman with cerebral palsy. After performing CPR and other resuscitative acts for about 30 minutes, the first responders declared 20-year-old Timesha Beauchamp dead.

But when a funeral home embalmer unzipped her body bag later that day, Beauchamp was gasping for air. She was taken to a hospital, where she died of a brain injury about six weeks later.

Her death prompted Beauchamp's family to sue the city of Southfield and its four first responders who declared Beauchamp dead, claiming their false judgment contributed to Beauchamp's fatal brain injury.

But on Wednesday, an appellate court ruled in favor of the first responders, quashing the lawsuit...

 

[ilovewings]

EMTs who declared breathing Southfield woman dead can't be sued, court rules

Kali Henderson, an attorney representing the city of Southfield and its first responders, said in a statement that the decision was "a correct statement of the law."

www.detroitnews.com

Almost three years ago, Michigan EMTs and paramedics responded to a call to help an unresponsive woman with cerebral palsy. After performing CPR and other resuscitative acts for about 30 minutes, the first responders declared 20-year-old Timesha Beauchamp dead.

But when a funeral home embalmer unzipped her body bag later that day, Beauchamp was gasping for air. She was taken to a hospital, where she died of a brain injury about six weeks later.

Her death prompted Beauchamp's family to sue the city of Southfield and its four first responders who declared Beauchamp dead, claiming their false judgment contributed to Beauchamp's fatal brain injury.

But on Wednesday, an appellate court ruled in favor of the first responders, quashing the lawsuit...

Thanks for the update

 

[scriabina]

In July 2022, a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan judge first dismissed the lawsuit against the city and first responders, citing qualified immunity.

Beauchamp's estate appealed the decision the next month, but the appeals court affirmed the district court's decision. The judges wrote that they acknowledged the first responders prematurely declared Beauchamp dead but that Beauchamp's estate "failed to plead a constitutional violation."

Upsetting. The family definitely should get some compensation for the EMT's premature calling of Timesha's death.

 

[lostcause]

I don't consider 30 minutes performing CPR on this young lady as indicative of negligence on the part of any first responders. They obviously fought hard to revive her. I do hope she manages to pull through this horrific ordeal.

Lazarus Syndrome strikes again IMO.

I quoted some responses which may change your mind here.
It wasn't the CPR that was negligent.

State: Southfield paramedic misled doc about ‘dead’ woman

It seems like they have narrowed a good deal of the negligence to a paramedic who failed to recognize the patient was alive and misled a doctor about her condition. From news reports here in Michigan, it is said that she remains in critical condition

It appears that this paramedic was more than neglectful. No use of stethoscope, no verification of circulation/respiration, and knew by falsifying a report. If a person is dead does their chest rise and fall even with cerebral palsy and medication, I don't think so. It is not only horrifying but I think it might be criminal.

From the article:

But that doesn’t resemble what state regulators allege. According to the license suspension from the health department:

Storms stopped resuscitation efforts six minutes before getting permission from a doctor who was contacted by phone. “At no point did (Storms) attempt to verify circulation or respiration” with a device such as a stethoscope. “The vital signs and description depicted to the physician were inaccurate.”

Minutes later, Storms went back into the home when family members said Beauchamp appeared to be breathing and had a pulse. He placed her on a monitor, which “clearly showed” electrical activity and revealed she “was not deceased.” Apparently no action was taken.

Storms went inside again when relatives noticed signs of life. “Both times (Storms) failed to recognize the patient was still alive” and indicated that chest movement was normal due to her medication.

The state said Storms changed his report when it was uploaded a second time to an incident database the next day.

Beauchamp wasn’t taken to a hospital until Cole Funeral Home in Detroit called 911 hours later. Funeral home staff actually saw her chest moving earlier when they picked up the body at the Southfield home, the state said, but Beauchamp’s family said they were assured by the medical crew that she was dead.

State: Southfield paramedic misled doc about ‘dead’ woman

 

[lostcause]

State: Southfield paramedic misled doc about ‘dead’ woman

A Southfield paramedic allegedly repeatedly failed to recognize a young woman declared dead was alive and misled a doctor by phone about her condition

www.detroitnews.com

The funeral home still transported her! Wow.

Beauchamp wasn’t taken to a hospital until Cole Funeral Home in Detroit called 911 hours later. Funeral home staff actually saw her chest moving earlier when they picked up the body at the Southfield home, the state said, but Beauchamp’s family said they were assured by the medical crew that she was dead.

An Oakland County agency that oversees local emergency medical services had access to Storms’ report and other information and shared its conclusions with the Michigan Division of EMS and Trauma.

Menifee told the AP that the state’s version of events is “very alarming and very concerning.” But at the same time, he said it’s “not how we understand what happened.”

“I am seeking the truth in what happened,” the fire chief said Wednesday night. “We’re looking at everything here. This is a terrible thing that’s happened. This is tragic.”

 

[vls12345]

My heart goes out to Timesha's family. It is hard and exhausting to be caregivers and then this horror added on top of it. I am shocked at the legal decision.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Court revives lawsuit over Detroit-area woman who was found alive in a body bag

A judge was wrong to dismiss the lawsuit in favor of Southfield paramedics before the parties could conduct interviews and gather other evidence, the court said.

www.detroitnews.com

Detroit – A Michigan appeals court revived a lawsuit against Detroit-area paramedics after a woman who had been declared dead gasped for air with her eyes open when a body bag was unzipped at a funeral home.

A judge was wrong to dismiss the lawsuit in favor of Southfield paramedics before the parties could conduct interviews and gather other evidence, a process known as discovery, the court said in a 3-0 opinion Thursday.

Timesha Beauchamp, who had cerebral palsy, was struggling to breathe when her family called 911 in August 2020.

The medical crew tried to resuscitate her but ultimately called a doctor, who declared the 20-year-old dead without going to the home. Beauchamp was never taken to a hospital.

Later that day, a funeral home unzipped the body bag and found Beauchamp had her eyes open. She was rushed to a hospital but died two months later...

 

[Sleuth5]

Woman found alive at Detroit funeral home after being declared dead

20-year-old woman was declared dead

DETROIT – After a 20-year-old Southfield woman was declared dead on Sunday, a funeral home discovered she was still breathing -- and very much alive.

Sources tell Local 4 the woman was found in cardiac arrest inside her home in Southfield on Sunday morning. The family called 911 and Southfield fire crews responded...

You know, it was fear of this occurrence that animated most of Poe’s work. I try to pretend it never happens, but these stories keep popping up. Guess I picked the wrong day to give up blue dreamers.