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Sleeping senior ends up at B.C. morgue
Last Updated Mon, 21 Mar 2005 12:03:06 EST
CBC News
VANCOUVER - A sleeping senior at a B.C. extended care facility was sent to a hospital morgue on Saturday, after being mistaken for her dead roommate.
According to Fraser Health Authority spokesperson Helen Carkner, the mix-up occurred when a driver who works for the company that transports the dead from the facility to the morgue didn't check the woman's wrist band for identification.
"He was shown by the nurse which room the [deceased] resident was in and the nurse pointed to the resident and gave the name," she told the Vancouver Sun. "She went back to the nursing station to complete the paperwork [and] for whatever reason, he picked the wrong individual."
The driver left the 87-year-old woman on a gurney in a hospital corridor. The mistake was discovered after a porter saw her move, and an employee at the extended care facility realized the mix-up and called the hospital.
The woman was taken back to the care facility in an ambulance and is doing fine, said Carkner.
She said the woman's family was understanding about what happened and satisfied that action was taken.
The driver, who was recently hired, was immediately fired.
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For some reason, as horrible as this is, I found it *very* funny.
It reminded me of when I worked in housekeeping at a hospital (back in high school). The change rooms were in the basement (same level as the morgue) and every once in a while one of us would climb on a gurney and be covered by a sheet. You would be parked in the elevator bay and when someone would get off the elevator you would start to move... elicited many screams from the women (girls really) who worked in the kitchen...