Overview
- The lawsuit alleges staff moved 27-year-old Kaelen Lachica from a wheelchair into an Uber paid by the hospital and sent him to a downtown homeless shelter rather than to his home.
- Roughly two hours later, police body-camera video recorded Lachica collapsed on a Phoenix sidewalk in triple-digit heat before he was taken to another hospital and pronounced dead.
- The complaint says his home address was in his medical records, yet he was dropped outside a shelter where he could not enter.
- According to the filing and family statements, Lachica had a longstanding history of anorexia, a recent possible stroke, and had become delusional and immobile prior to discharge after allegedly striking a nurse and asking to leave.
- The parents assert Abrazo displayed a conscious disregard for his safety and that the discharge directly caused his death, while the hospital has offered no response to the allegations.