In a shocking incident, a grandmother believed to be dead was mistakenly placed in a body bag and stored in a freezer, only to be discovered alive later.
Maria de Jesus Arroyo suffered a cardiac arrest at her residence in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, on July 26, 2010. Following her collapse, she was taken to White Memorial Medical Center, where medical professionals declared her deceased. However, it was revealed in court documents that Maria was erroneously placed in a refrigerated morgue at the hospital. Several days later, when mortuary staff retrieved her, they found her in a disturbing state – face-down in a partially unzipped body bag with facial injuries.
The family of the 80-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging that she was placed in a morgue freezer while still alive, ultimately succumbing to the extreme cold temperatures.
The grave mistake came to light when morticians were preparing her body for the funeral and discovered her position in the body bag.
Dr. William Manion, a pathologist hired by the family, concluded that Maria had been alive when she entered the freezer and had sustained injuries while attempting to escape the body bag after regaining consciousness in the cold environment.
According to court records, the pathologist suggested that the woman had been frozen alive, awakened later, and in her struggle to break free, had injured herself and shifted to a face-down position.
The family initially filed a negligence claim in January 2011. After receiving Dr. Manion’s report in 2012, they pursued a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit. Although a lower court dismissed the case citing statute-of-limitations, the California Second District Court of Appeal reinstated the suit in a significant decision.
The court emphasized that the family had no reason to suspect that Maria was alive when placed in the hospital morgue, indicating that they could not have reasonably pursued a wrongful death claim earlier.
Despite the allegations, White Memorial Medical Center maintained its innocence, stating that it had followed all correct procedures. The hospital expressed confidence that a review of the case facts would vindicate them in court.
Attorney Scott Schutzman, representing the Arroyo family, characterized the situation as a nightmare scenario, highlighting the distressing image of someone trapped in a zipped bag.
The Mirror reached out to White Memorial Medical Center for their comments on the matter.
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