Tag Archives: dillard

Poor Melvin Dillard had a heart attack waiting on his ride home… from the hospital! But that’s not the worst part. No one seemed to notice him suffering from the cardiac episode and after he died, he was in the waiting room so long his body went into rigor mortis before he was found. SMH!!! What kind of janky azz hospital did he go to? Via DelawareOnline : When they found Melvin A. Dillard Jr.’s body in a lobby chair at Beebe Medical Center’s emergency department on June 27, he had been there and deceased so long that rigor mortis had set in. According to a lawsuit filed by the family of the 38-year-old, Dillard had been rushed to the hospital in Lewes with chest pains a day earlier, but was told he could go home by ER staff. Dillard then died of a heart attack, apparently while waiting for transportation, sometime between early Tuesday evening and 10 a.m. Wednesday, when his body was discovered by hospital staff. The family now is alleging medical negligence and wrongful death in a suit against Beebe and Sussex Emergency Associates, which operates the hospital’s ER department, and is seeking damages. The family alleges that given Dillard’s symptoms and history of cardiac issues, he should have been admitted for observation and not sent away. In a statement released Thursday by Beebe, hospital officials said Dillard “was seen, treated appropriately following all protocols and was discharged in stable condition. While sleeping in the lobby waiting for a ride, the individual passed away.” Beebe spokesperson Kelly Griffin said the incident was “fully disclosed” to oversight authorities and investigated. She declined further comment citing patient privacy laws and the pending litigation. Gilbert Shelsby Jr., the attorney representing the Dillard family, declined comment saying that the lawsuit spoke for itself. According to the suit, Dillard, who lived in Newark but worked in Sussex County, experienced chest pains on June 26 and called 911. Dillard was then taken by ambulance to Beebe and arrived at 5:33 p.m., according to court papers. The EMS unit noted Dillard was showing signs “consistent with an impending cardiac event” and upon admission to the ER had an abnormal EKG, according to the suit. It is unclear what happened next, but Dillard was discharged with instructions to follow up with his cardiologist, according to the suit. Because he had arrived by ambulance, Dillard had no way to get back to work or home and went to the lobby to wait for a ride. He apparently called a friend who was not able to get him and Dillard may have been waiting to catch a bus. At some unknown time, Dillard then had a fatal heart attack but no one noticed. “The decedent’s lifeless body remained in the emergency room waiting area until he was found the next day,” according to the lawsuit. When he was found, Dillard was rushed back into the ER where he was pronounced dead. Dillard, however, had apparently been dead for several hours before he was discovered, according to the suit, because medical records indicate rigor mortis had set in. According to reference materials, rigor mortis – the stiffening of the muscles after death – takes several hours to set in. SMH… Do you think the family has a good case? At the very least it seems negligent that no one in the hospital noticed a dead person in their waiting room for so long!

Read more:
Lawsuits: Dead Man’s Body Found In Waiting Room Chair A Day After Hospital Released Him Following Chest Pains!