Mother Accuses Hospital Staff Of Texting Pictures Of Her Dead Son's Body
In a lawsuit recently filed against New Haven, Conn.- based Saint Raphael Healthcare System, Virginia Williams claimed hospital workers took pictures of her son Travis Washington's body after he was shot to death in June of 2011, Courthouse News Service reported Monday.
"A hospital employee approached Travis Washington's body and began taking pictures of the corpse with the said employee's personal cell phone camera," Williams claims in her lawsuit. "Thereafter, the cell phone pictures were uploaded and transmitted electronically to other defendant employees and staff persons. The photograph(s) of Mr. Washington's corpse has been circulated on public media."
The hospital did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.
However, in July 2011, St. Ray's spokeswoman Liese Klein told the New Haven Independent that the hospital "became aware of a clinician who had inappropriately photographed the wound of a deceased patient and shared that photo with another staff member, who in turn shared it with a small number of other individuals.”
The hospital told Williams an employee had taken pictures of her son's body shortly after he died.
"While the patient is unidentifiable in the photograph, the picture was unauthorized and violates our zero tolerance policy relating to patient privacy," Klein told the Independent. "As a result of this incident, three employees were terminated and others have received written warnings, documented counseling and there has been related education.”
Williams is seeking damages for privacy invasion and negligence, among other charges.
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