Most people assume that if they go to the emergency room of their local hospital they will be treated in a timely manner. But apparently that is not always the case. One man was in the waiting room of a New York hospital for eight hours (hoping to be treated) until he finally died.
CBS news reports on the man's tragic death in the hospital's waiting room.
The man was only thirty years old. He went to St. Barnabas hospital complaining of a rash and was told to stand by in the waiting room.
The man was found dead in the waiting room after eight hours by a guard.
A St. Barnabas spokesman told CBS that this type of incident is actually common in New York City hospitals, “Probably this scenario in this shape and form has happened in any big hospital in New York City. People have personal responsibility when your name is called, you have to get up and see the doctor. It was determined through employee accounts and security footage that the young man was alive at least until 3:45 a.m. A security guard woke him up after he had fallen asleep, and he had been recorded walking around the waiting room. It was a busy night, waiting 2 hours and 30 minutes is not that long a time considering what his complaint was.”
The exact cause of the young man’s death is unknown. Authorities are waiting for autopsy reports.
“An anonymous St. Barnabas Hospital emergency room employee told news sources that despite the man's name being called three times, he had not been checked on personally. The employee added he or she believed the patient died because there was not enough staff to take care of the number of patients we see each day,” according to CBS. The hospital issued a statement defending its practices, “It is a tragedy that a young man died, yet following an internal review, it was concluded that all hospital guidelines were met.”
