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| Brain surgery patient James Absten Sr. was dropped off, lost and disoriented, in a strange neighborhood in his socks and hospital gown on a cold, rainy night. |
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Patient Dumping: Brain surgery patient put in cab
KOMO-TV
Sat February 5, 2011
Area: Seattle, Tacoma
SEATTLE - A brain surgery patient was left wandering lost and disoriented in an unfamiliar neighborhood on a rainy night in his hospital gown after the University of Washington Medical Center sent him home in a taxi.
Some kind-hearted strangers came to the man's rescue and drove him to safety - but now his family wants the hospital to explain what went wrong.
Medical Center officials say they try to arrange private rides to get patients home - but sometimes resort to taxis.
And in this case, the family says, it appears the brain surgery patient was sent home in a taxi even though he was too disoriented to give the correct address.
The patient, James Absten Sr., says "I'm embarrassed that this happened to me."
Absten is still healing from his fourth brain surgery - and trying to understand how he ended up wandering in Puyallup after being discharged from UW Medical Center following his latest check-up.
"If it wasn't for the kindness of neighbors saying, 'Where are your shoes?', I could have got hurt last night," Absten says.
The incident began when Absten went to the UW Medical Center on Thursday for tests in a specialized van, or "cabulance," equipped to transport people with medical conditions.
When Absten checked out OK, the hospital decided to send him home.
The problem is that Absten couldn't clearly remember his address when they put him in a taxi.
"I was ... I was confused," Absten says.
Apparently no one double-checked the address - and Absten ended up in a strange neighborhood.
Jessica Spencer, who lives in the area, says, "I just heard somebody ask for help, and he was standing right over here."
Spencer and Josh Skilton couldn't believe their eyes.
"He was in a hospital gown, and only socks," Skilton says. "It was wet, raining, cold out. He had bandages and staples in his head still from his surgeries."
They made some calls - and with their help, Absten got home safely.
UW Medical Center uses taxis when private rides can't be arranged, but a spokesperson says the policy is to send the patient back to their point of origin.
The hospital admits that didn't happen in this case and confirms an investigation is under way.
Absten's son says his family wants to make sure this never happens again.
"Nobody else should have to go through this, because it's not right, and somebody could honestly get hurt," says James Absten Jr.
The family says the hospital was quick to apologize.
However, they filed a complaint with state regulators while the hospital conducts its own internal review.
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