The mother of a 23-year-old man who died at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2021 filed a lawsuit against the institution claiming staff “untreated him to death.”
The man, William “Billy” Miller, was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital’s emergency department after ingesting white powder at a gathering with friends that was suspected of being laced with fentanyl, according to the Connecticut Post. Prior to transportation, fire department personnel administered naloxone, reviving Miller to the point where he was alert, walking and talking, the outlet continued.
Miller was taken to the hospital so staff could monitor and prevent any type of toxicity recurrence, the CT Post noted. During transportation, Miller called his mother to explain what happened and told her that he was feeling okay, the suit states.
Two Students Hospitalized, One Dead After School Issues Warning About Fake Pills Laced With Fentanyl https://t.co/XILvAlVnzm
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 6, 2022
Upon arrival at the hospital at around 7:13 pm, Miller was placed on a stretcher and placed in the “ambulance bay” in the emergency department, the CT Post continued. From 7:15 pm to 1:56 am, Miller received no medical attention, with security footage showing him moving around the hospital area to use the bathroom, get a snack, make a call, before he fell asleep, the outlet described.
No medical staff checked on Miller after he fell asleep until one nurse stopped by at 1:56 am, the CT Post continued. The suit states that when the nurse finally checked on him, he had no pulse, his skin had turned a shade of blue-gray, and his pupils were fixed and dilated, suggesting he had been in full cardiac arrest for a currently unknown period of time, the lawsuit reportedly claims.
Miller’s mother and her daughter called the nursing station at Yale-New Haven Hospital numerous times and were allegedly told that Billy was doing okay, the CT Post noted. “The next morning, we called the hospital for an update but we couldn’t get any details,” Miller’s mother said, according to the outlet. “My last conversation with Billy he said everything was going to be OK and he would see me tomorrow but tomorrow has never come for us.”
“They untreated him to death,” his mother stated, according to the outlet. The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages, the CT Post noted. (RELATED: Police Say Six Spring Breakers Suffered Cardiac Arrest In Front Yard After Ingesting Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine)
Yale-New Haven spokeswoman told the outlet that the institution is aware of the lawsuit, noting that “however, even in the best organizations gaps in care may occur. When they do, our goal is to acknowledge them, learn from them, and ensure that we minimize any chance that they ever occur again. We have offered our sincere apologies to the family of the patient and are working towards a resolution.”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is roughly 80-100 times stronger than morphine and is often mixed with cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine to increase potency and dependency, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts have argued that many people who ingest fentanyl have no intention of consuming the drug, and therefore are “poisoned” by the substance, rather than “overdosing,” CBC reported.