The family of a man whose lifeline was mistakenly disconnected in a tragic case of mistaken identity is demanding answers from the hospital where he died.
David Wells, 69, received critical support after he choked on a piece of meat while dining in Vancouver, Washington.
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But an alleged mix-up at the hospital led staff to contact the family of his roommate, Michael Beehler, 60, rather than Wells’ own relatives.
The hospital told Debbie Danielson, Michael’s sister: “He’s basically brain dead.
They asked him: “Do you want us to keep it with very important support or do you want to disconnect it?”
Faced with an unbearable decision, Debbie and her husband, Gary, agreed to end very important support.
But the man whose death they had authorized was not their relative: it was David, who shared the same hospital room.
In fact, Michael Beehler was alive and well.
An incorrect death notice for Michael even appeared in the local newspaper stating, “Michael A. Beehler, age 60, Vancouver, died August 9, 2021.”
Debbie said: “That whole week was kind of a blur.
“Trying to organize the funeral, informing relatives that he died.”
The following week, he received a phone call that turned his world upside down.
The nurses filmed vaping and waving their phones around as the patient prepared to take his own life.
On the phone was Michael, who she thought was dead.
Debbie, shocked, remembered saying, “You can’t be alive. “You are dead.”
The alleged mix-up only came to light when Michael became confused because his cell phone service had been disabled, so he called his family to sort out the problem.
Realizing the mistake, Debbie and Michael immediately contacted the police.
Debbie’s husband Gary said: “We made decisions that ended the life of a person we don’t even know.
“We never received an explanation. “We never apologized or anything.”
The error continued even after David’s death, when his body was incorrectly identified as Michael’s and sent to a funeral home.
Debbie visited the funeral home and asked if she needed to identify her brother, but was allegedly told it was not necessary.
David’s family was informed of his death, but did not learn of the scandal until two years later.
Shawn Wells, son of David Wells, described the emotional toll of knowing that strangers had decided his father’s fate.
He said: “I have no words for how badly they handled this.
“I will never be able to take that decision back. It is something I will carry with me forever.”
To make matters worse, Shawn discovered that his father’s organs had been donated against his wishes.
He said: “It’s disturbing. They dropped the ball so egregiously.
“It would have been a very easily identifiable mark on his body.
“Even if there was some slight confusion about his identity, I think it would have been resolved quickly.”
David and Michael’s families are now suing PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Middle along with the ambulance service, the funeral home and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office.
They accuse the services of negligence and serious emotional distress, alleging that the error began with the 911 call and persisted at every stage until the funeral home.
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