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Hospital Hit With Horrific Lawsuit After Staff Allegedly Told Grieving Parents To Drive Their Baby Home
Aleksandr and Nataliya Yeremeyev were on a church retreat in Oregon in September 2024 when their eight-month-old son, Michael, suffered a medical emergency.
The parents rushed the infant to Salem Health, the nearest hospital, but he could not be saved.
What was already a devastating day for the family became even more distressing when hospital staff allegedly told them they would have to transport their baby’s body to their home state of Washington themselves.
Highlights
- A Seattle couple allege Oregon hospital staff told them to transport their nine-month-old son’s body home themselves.
- They are seeking $10 million in damages over the emotional trauma they say the ordeal caused.
- The hospital expressed condolences but said it could not discuss the case because of ongoing litigation.
Although the couple complied at the time, they are now suing the facility, alleging that the incident caused them severe emotional distress.
“No parents, no loved ones should ever be placed in the position that the Yeremeyevs were placed in,” their attorney, Anna Bruckenhoefer, said.
RELATED:
Grieving parents seek legal recourse against Salem Hospital over alleged lack of support
Michael was born with Down syndrome and spent the first six months of his life at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“His parents had made sure that he had received excellent care,” Bruckenhoefer detailed, according to Fox News, adding, “so I think it was really, really sad and just a very tragic way for his life to end and for it to be so undignified right there at the end.”
The child’s passing came after he was rushed to the emergency room after developing shallow breathing late at night on September 22, 2024.
The parents allege that they asked the hospital to arrange for the respectful transportation of Michael’s body but were told that the arrangement would prove “too expensive.”
Staff allegedly went on to pressure the pair to take their son’s body with them in their personal car, which they ultimately did because they felt there was no other option.
Aleksandr drove about four hours from Salem to Seattle with Michael’s body laid face down across the backseat, as allegedly suggested by the hospital, while his wife and other children followed in a separate car.
He suffered emotional distress as he feared police stops, road accidents, and more, according to the lawsuit.
Aleksandr and Nataliya have demanded $10 million in damages for the trauma the incident caused
Both Washington and Oregon allow families to transport a deceased person with the proper permits, “but that is not what our clients wanted to do here,” Bruckenhoefer said.
“They were looking for the hospital to tell them, ‘these are the next steps.’”
The lawyer accused the hospital of not having procedures and protocols in place to assist families dealing with “literally the worst moments of their lives,” saying it was probably because they had become accustomed to casualties.
Their incompetence, however, “compounded” Aleksandr and Nataliya’s grief, she alleged.
The lawsuit names Salem Emergency Physicians Service and Dr. Stefanie Sorensen, the emergency medicine physician involved, as defendants, in addition to Salem Health, alleging negligence, vicarious liability, and breach of the heightened duty of care owed to bereaved parents regarding the respectful treatment and custody of a child’s body.
The family is seeking $10 million in non-economic damages for severe emotional distress and psychological trauma, although they plan to amend the complaint to include punitive damages.
Salem Health expressed condolences but refused to discuss the case because of active litigation
In a statement to Fox 13 on September 23, Salem Health said, “The d**th of a child is a profound and heartbreaking loss, and we extend our deepest condolences to the Yeremeyev family.”
“Out of respect for privacy and because this matter is in litigation, we are unable to discuss the details of Michael’s care,” they added.
The hospital, however, claimed to have acted in “accordance with the family’s wishes and followed both hospital policy and Oregon state law in consultation with the appropriate local authorities, including a medical examiner.”
They said “care with respect” is a guiding principle and remains central to how they support patients and their families.
“Empathy, dignity and respect” are not withheld from grieving families in any case, the hospital claimed.
Netizens criticized the hospital and urged the court to grant the Yeremeyevs the full amount they are seeking
“I hope this couple gets every penny of the $10 million. I’m sure medical professionals like them had pushed for the couple to abort Michael from the moment tests revealed the extra chromosome,” an X user said.
“Sounds like the parents were being punished for giving Michael a chance to live,” added another.
“This is what health care looks like. They will just give you a permit to handle corpses. How do you focus on driving when the c**pse of your child is bouncing around in the backseat?” asked a third.
Several commenters described Salem Health’s conduct as “cruel,” “inhumane,” and “disgusting.”
“How is this happening in 2026?” one asked.
Social media users continued slamming the hospital for their lack of assistance to the family
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Kara Parker 1 hour ago
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Kara Parker 1 hour ago
My last salary was $8750, ecom only worked 12 hours a week. My longtime neighbor yr estimated $15,000 and works about 20 hours for seven days. I can't believe how blunt he was when I looked up his information, This is what I do..... 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐏𝐚𝐲𝟏.𝐂𝐨𝐦
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