Forcibly kicked out of hospital, woman dies 18 minutes later

10 Jan, 2016 by Rachel Alexander

Hospitals aren’t supposed to turn anyone away, even the indigent. What happened recently at a Florida hospital to an older lady went against all protocols of decency, and was shockingly captured on a police dashcam video.

FlyHeight ran the video with this coverage,

The family of 57-year-old Barbara Dawson, who died less than two hours after being removed from a Florida hospital, is calling for a federal investigation. Dawson was admitted for stomach pain and later complained of shortness of breath. When she refused to leave her room after being discharged, hospital staff called police, who placed her under arrest for disorderly conduct and trespassing. Elaine Quijano reports.

In the video, Dawson can be heard moaning in pain. The police officer forces her out of the hospital and tries to take her oxygen mask off. She responds, “You can’t take that off … leave me alone, leave me alone, I can’t even breathe!” He doesn’t stop, and she gasps, “I beg you!” Finally she collapses and one officer comments to another about picking her up, “She’s dead weight.”

It turned out she had a blood clot in her lung that killed her. Two Florida agencies are investigating her death, and her family has said they intend to file a lawsuit. The hospital employee who ordered her to leave and called the police should be fired.

Rachel Alexander

Rachel Alexander is the editor of Intellectual Conservative. She is a senior editor at The Stream, and is a regular contributor to Townhall, the Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research, and The Christian Post, and provides weekend news items for Right Wing News. She frequently appears on TV and news radio as a conservative commentator. She is a recovering attorney and former gun magazine editor. She previously served as a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona, corporate attorney for Go Daddy Software, and Special Assistant/Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. As co-president of the UW Political Science Honor Society, she obtained degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Washington, followed by a law degree from Boston College and the University of Arizona. She was ranked by Right Wing News as one of the 50 Best Conservative Columnists from 2011-2017.