In a case of mistaken identity, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center consulted the wrong family and removed life support for a Washington man who wasn't related to them, KGW8 reportedopens in a new tab or window. As a result, the man's actual family was not consulted in his end-of-life care.
Debbie Danielson was told by the hospital that her 60-year-old brother, Mike Beehler, was on life support after a terrible accident.
A week later, her brother, very much alive, called her. "I said, 'You can't be alive. You're dead!'" Danielson told KGW8.
It turned out that Beehler's roommate had choked on a piece of steak, and Beehler called 911. Somewhere in the aftermath, the roommate was misidentified as Beehler. And because PeaceHealth reported the death to the county medical examiner's office and sent the misidentified body to the funeral home, the wrong family was also consulted about the funeral, cremation, and organ donation for the man they thought was their relative, without being asked to identify him.
"He's dead and I'm supposed to be dead. Who knows what's going on," explained Beehler.
The roommate's son was eventually notified of the death, but not the mix-up, and was able to make funeral arrangements. It wasn't until KGW8 contacted the son more than 2 years later that he learned of the mistake: his father had been taken off life support by strangers.
PeaceHealth declined to answer questions about the mix-up, KGW8 reported.
"It's easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled."18
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