A Washington couple is suing Salem Health and an ER doctor, alleging staff told them to drive their infant son’s body home after he died.
A Washington couple is suing Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, Salem Health, and a doctor after the death of their infant son, claiming the hospital forced them to drive his body home themselves.
According to the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Aleksandr Yeremeyev and Nataliya Yeremeyev of King County allege their son Michael, born with Down syndrome and other serious health issues, died at Salem Hospital on Sept. 22, 2024, after experiencing breathing problems during a family visit to a Christian retreat in Salem.
Michael’s mother and father said they rushed him to the hospital’s emergency department just after midnight, where staff tried lifesaving measures, but Michael died at 2:44 a.m.
After Michael’s death, the lawsuit states the Salem Health Defendants told the parents to stay away from their son's body while waiting for the medical examiner, but later informed them an examiner would not be coming.
The parents said they repeatedly asked about proper arrangements to transport Michael to Seattle, including the possibility of using a funeral home in keeping with their religious practices.
According to the complaint, hospital staff told them that would be too expensive and instead advised the family to take Michael’s body home in their own vehicle.
The lawsuit alleges the hospital did not provide a realistic opportunity for the parents to process the death, consult family, or consider alternatives for respectful transport of their son’s remains.
The complaint says the hospital did not offer to store Michael’s body in the morgue while arrangements were made and failed to provide the necessary documents for interstate transport, giving the parents only a handwritten note on a prescription pad from the doctor, stating that their child had died at the hospital.
The parents said when they asked how to safely move Michael, hospital staff first recommended placing him in his car seat, then on the back seat with a blanket to cover his body.
The complaint details that Nataliya carried Michael’s body out through the emergency room lobby before Aleksandr drove about four hours to Seattle with his son’s body in the back seat.
Family members followed in another vehicle. During the drive, the parents said they had to call Seattle funeral homes to make final arrangements and later had to clean bodily fluids that had seeped into their vehicle.
The lawsuit claims that Salem Health, Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, Salem Emergency Physicians Service, and the doctor failed to follow policies on documentation, family support, and handling of the body, resulting in significant emotional harm to the parents. The complaint asks for $10 million in non-economic damages for extreme emotional distress and psychological injuries.
D’Amore Law Group filed the case on Sept. 18, and the court will determine if further damages are warranted. In a statement, lawyers for the couple tell us, “Michael Yeremeyev died in Salem Hospital's emergency room after falling ill during his first family trip, at less than nine months old. At the moment when his parents, Aleksandr and Nataliya, most needed support, guidance, and assistance in navigating this tragic situation, they got none. There was no offer to hold Michael’s body in the hospital morgue to allow the parents time to consult one another, to rest, or make proper arrangements. Instead, they were handed a note scrawled on a prescription pad and told they had no other option than to put their son's body in his car seat. Aleksandr then drove Michael four hours home to Seattle, laid across the back seat. No grieving family should ever be placed in that position. Salem Health categorically failed this family at the worst moment of their lives, and we intend to hold them accountable.”
In response to a request for comment, Salem Health said it does not comment on pending litigation.
