After collapsing from a cardiac arrest at her residence in Boyle Heights, LA, Maria de Jesus Arroyo was mistakenly declared dead by doctors at White Memorial Medical Center on July 26, 2010. Subsequently, her body was placed in a hospital morgue’s refrigerated unit. However, when mortuary staff retrieved her a few days later, they found her alive, face-down in a partially unzipped body bag with facial injuries.
A lawsuit filed by Arroyo’s family against the hospital alleges that the 80-year-old woman was placed in a morgue freezer while still conscious, leading to her death due to extreme cold exposure.
Dr. William Manion, a pathologist hired by the family, concluded that Arroyo had been alive when placed in the freezer and had sustained injuries while attempting to escape the body bag after waking up in the freezing conditions.
Court documents indicate that the pathologist stated Arroyo had been “frozen alive,” regained consciousness, and struggled unsuccessfully to free herself, resulting in facial injuries and positioning herself face-down in the bag.
Initially filing a negligence claim in January 2011, the family later pursued a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit after receiving Dr. Manion’s report in 2012. Although a lower court dismissed the case citing statute-of-limitations issues, California’s Second District Court of Appeal reinstated the suit.
The court noted that the family had no reason to suspect Arroyo was alive when placed in the morgue, thereby justifying the delay in pursuing a wrongful-death claim.
While the hospital has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting adherence to proper protocols, the Arroyo family’s attorney, Scott Schutzman, described the incident as a “nightmare,” highlighting the distressing situation of being trapped in a zippered bag.
White Memorial Medical Center has been approached for comment by the Mirror.