An Ohio man whose wife died in a car accident earlier this year is suing the hospital where she was a nurse, claiming she was "worked to death," and that the hospital knew about it.
Jim Jasper's wife, Beth, was killed on March 16 while driving home after a 12-hour shift.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed last week, alleges that from 2011 to the time of her death, Beth Jasper's unit at the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati was "regularly understaffed," causing some nurses, including Jasper, to work through breaks and pick up additional shifts.
Additionally, Jasper was routinely called into work while off duty because she was one of the few nurses qualified to work the unit's dialysis machines, according to the suit...
Reporter: In a statement, the hospital would only say. Our hearts go out to the family. We do not comment on pending litigation.
A nationwide shortage of nurses has created a dangerous situation. According to the ANA, one in ten nurses say they were involved in an exhaustion-related car accident. They're going to have to show that it would be reasonably foreseeable that the actions of the employer, would lead to the death of the employee.
When there are layoffs, it's always in patient care, it's never in administration. And administration is teeming with redundant positions.
While I rarely find myself in the position of defending hospitals, I will say that, over the years, every hospital in which I've worked that has found itself in the position of having to do layoffs always worked v. hard to avoid laying off nursing staff, and did lay off people from other services, including (gasp!) administrators, instead of direct care clinical people.
While I rarely find myself in the position of defending hospitals, I will say that, over the years, every hospital in which I've worked that has found itself in the position of having to do layoffs always worked v. hard to avoid laying off nursing staff, and did lay off people from other services, including (gasp!) administrators, instead of direct care clinical people.
When I worked night shift, I had several occasions where I came close to having an accident and finally did have one. I managed to have a concussion, whiplash and bruises all over which sure beat the alternative.
Working 12 hour shifts, and depending on how far she had to commute could be a big factor. I have friends who work 12 hours and have an hour long commute home, have families. Talk about chronic sleep deprivation! Also, the hospital could have been using the usual "guilt" crap to get her to come in, or did they have a required call in/overtime policy? Many questions.
That is when you should have filled out an incident report! and made copies for yourself in case it "got lost". We have a special form for that where I work.
elkpark
14,633 Posts
While I rarely find myself in the position of defending hospitals, I will say that, over the years, every hospital in which I've worked that has found itself in the position of having to do layoffs always worked v. hard to avoid laying off nursing staff, and did lay off people from other services, including (gasp!) administrators, instead of direct care clinical people.