# Barbara Dawson refused to leave hospital and dies after being forced to leave. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167 "2015-12-23T12:13:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/1 "2015-12-23T12:13:32Z")
A patient insists they are having trouble breathing. Perhaps the doctors should should take her seriously? Why the hurry in giving her the bum rush out the door? Perhaps she had no insurance? There may be more to this story that will come out. But it sounds like they are directly responsible for her death. Pretty hard to claim she was stable and in no risk when she collapses as they shove her out the door in handcuffs. Its going to cost the hospital millions. [http://news.yahoo.com/naacp-woman-dies-being-forcibly-removed-hospital-022119890.html](http://news.yahoo.com/naacp-woman-dies-being-forcibly-removed-hospital-022119890.html) > [@](#): > > Barbara Dawson, 57, collapsed Monday while being escorted in handcuffs from the Liberty Calhoun Hospital, where she went to seek treatment for breathing difficulties, said Blountstown Police Department chief Mark Mallory. Mallory said an officer had arrested Dawson for disorderly conduct and trespassing. > > An autopsy on Dawson has been performed and the results should be released Wednesday, Mallory said. Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials have been called in to investigate, department spokesman Steve Arthur said. He declined to comment further. > > Mallory said that the officer who arrested Dawson removed the handcuffs after she collapsed and escorted her back into the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/2 "2015-12-23T12:22:05Z")
More details. Horrible, callous and cold attitude. She’s admitted for only a few hours and then shoved out the door. [http://news.yahoo.com/naacp-woman-dies-being-forcibly-removed-hospital-022119890.html](http://news.yahoo.com/naacp-woman-dies-being-forcibly-removed-hospital-022119890.html) > [@](#): > > On Sunday evening, Dawson complained of stomach pain and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. > > Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory said Dawson was admitted to the hospital about 10:30 p.m. Hours later, she was discharged after being treated and cleared by hospital staff. > > Dawson, however, felt she needed to remain at the hospital for continued care and told the medical staff she “still was not feeling well,” relatives said. The family said the nursing staff then “banned” her from the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/3 "2015-12-23T13:49:02Z")
It does seem brutal to handcuff her and force her out, but whether the rough treatment caused or contributed to her death is uncertain. Even if they’d let her stay, she still might have died. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/4 "2015-12-23T13:51:50Z")
> [@WF\_Tomba](#): > > It does seem brutal to handcuff her and force her out, but whether the rough treatment caused or contributed to her death is uncertain. Even if they’d let her stay, she still might have died. I think the point is that, regardless of outcome, she was in sufficiently fragile condition that she belonged in a hospital. As she tried to tell them. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/5 "2015-12-23T14:00:20Z")
It;ll be interesting to hear what the autopsy reveals. Off hand, I’d guess a aneurysm and she was bleeding internally. just a WAG since she was short of breath and stomach was hurting. Whatever the cause. Critical diagnostic time was wasted while they discharged her (after only a few hours) and then called police. It doesn’t sound like she would have made it to another hospital in time. Her one chance of living was at the hospital she was already in. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/6 "2015-12-23T14:21:22Z")
I was talking to my mom. She’s a retired Anesthetist (CRNA) and she commented the enzyme blood tests they use to check heart function and for prior heart attacks used to require 24 hours. She retired in 2004 and things may have changed since then. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/7 "2015-12-23T14:29:25Z")
I’m guessing she’s black and poor and thus disposable in America. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/8 "2015-12-23T14:32:58Z")
just noticed a link that I tried to reference in post #2 didn’t update. Its still the yahoo article. my apologies. heres the local article. It has the information quoted in post #2. > **[Bristol woman dies while being kicked out of area hospital](https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/12/22/blountstown-woman-dies-while-being-kicked-out-area-hospital/77758316/)** > > BLOUNTSTOWN - A Bristol woman died Monday morning after being arrested and forcibly removed by police from the Calhoun Liberty Hospital where she had gone seeking treatment.  ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/9 "2015-12-23T14:55:18Z")
Here is an [article](http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/12/22/blountstown-woman-dies-while-being-kicked-out-area-hospital/77758316/) with more details (albeit drawing heavily from accounts by the police and the hospital). According to it, she came to the hospital by ambulance with stomach pain, was treated and discharged, and then police were summoned when she refused to leave. Supposedly there have been prior conflicts between her and this hospital, in which the police were called. It sounds like she was on oxygen, or thought she should be, and the family says she was denied access to it. If that allegation pans out, it sounds bad. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/10 "2015-12-23T15:00:56Z")
Doctors is all swabs ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/11 "2015-12-23T20:40:52Z")
They’ve updated the story since I saw it early this morning. I knew there had to be more to this story then just randomly ejecting a patient from the hospital. Still doesn’t excuse what happened. Their mistakes will still cost that hospital a bunch of money. But its only fair to to point out the hospital’s prior rocky history with the lady. This is from the Tallahassee Democrat linked earlier. > [@](#): > > Attaway said Dawson had visited the hospital many times in the past. It wasn’t the first time there was conflict between Dawson and hospital staff, relatives said. The hospital had called the police on her numerous times and once ordered her off the property when she brought a friend in for treatment, Donar said. > > “If they bring her some medicine, she wants to know what it is, what it is for. They just get mad at her,” Donar said. “If she don’t think it’s right, she’s going to tell them and they don’t like that.” > > Relatives said Dawson had a long history of breathing problems. She had visited Tallahassee hospitals 22 times since 1987 and had been in and out of other Florida hospitals. > > Darryl Parks said his firm will start its own investigation. He did not know what type of lawsuit they plan to file. Parks and Crump has represented black families in other high-profile cases such as the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/12 "2015-12-23T21:22:23Z")
If you claim to be dying often enough, you will be right eventually. The hospital system I used to work for called these kind of people GOMERs - Get Out of My Emergency Room. It’s too bad she’s dead, but for crying out loud - she is an attention-seeking nutjob who was wasting resources complaining about nothing the previous times she was ejected from the emergency room. I hope that if her family gets a settlement, they deduct the cost of her previous visits from it, because I am guessing she didn’t pay for it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/13 "2015-12-23T21:24:39Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If you claim to be dying often enough, you will be right eventually. > > The hospital system I used to work for called these kind of people GOMERs - Get Out of My Emergency Room. It’s too bad she’s dead, but for crying out loud - she is an attention-seeking nutjob who was wasting resources complaining about nothing the previous times she was ejected from the emergency room. > > I hope that if her family gets a settlement, they deduct the cost of her previous visits from it, because I am guessing she didn’t pay for it. > > Regards, > Shodan She’s dead. Therefore, she was right and the hospital was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Chetumal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/14 "2015-12-23T21:29:50Z")
I know a woman who is batshiat crazy and constantly (like once or twice a week) goes to the ER, demanding treatment and controlled drugs for bizarre, imagined or made-up illnesses. If/when she doesn’t get the “treatment” or drugs she insists on, she pitches a screaming obscenity-laced tantrum and routinely gets removed from the hospital by the police and/or hospital security. She’s been arrested several times. From the new article referenced above, I noticed this snippet with regard to the woman this thread is about: _**The family said the nursing staff “banned” her from the hospital. After Dawson refused to leave the facility, hospital staff called police about 4:45 a.m. Monday. “She was causing a disturbance in the hospital with her language and the volume of her voice,” Mallory said."**_ If she’s anything like the woman I know, I don’t blame the hospital for finally just banning her from the premises. I’m sorry to hear she died, but it sounds like things might have turned out differently if she hadn’t gone all batshit and yelling obscenities at the ER staff, those people have enough stress with their jobs as it is. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/15 "2015-12-23T21:32:33Z")
Before passing judgment, I’d like to see the statistics for people with tummyaches who get kicked out of hospitals and _not_ die. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/16 "2015-12-23T23:03:55Z")
Results have been reported. This was a small 25 bed hospital. I wonder if they even have a cardiologist on staff? Terrible situation. A big settlement might even cost the community this hospital. Many [rural hospitals operate on slim margins](http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150516/MAGAZINE/305169959) already. I’ve seen it happen in two towns in my state. People drive 30 miles or more for medical care. > **[Florida woman dies from blood clot after arrested for refusing to leave...](https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/12/24/florida-woman-dies-from-blood-clot-after-arrested-for-refusing-to-leave-hospital-they-didnt-do-what-they-could/)** > > A 57-year-old woman died after she was arrested for refusing to leave a Florida hospital — and the outraged community is demanding answers. Barbara Dawson collapsed and died early Monday whil… > [@](#): > > Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory said Wednesday the medical examiner determined that Dawson died from a blood clot from being overweight. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/17 "2015-12-23T23:24:12Z")
Looking back also at the earlier article I linked, the police chief has a lot to say about her weight. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/18 "2015-12-23T23:26:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory said Wednesday the medical examiner determined that Dawson died from a blood clot from being overweight. I have a feeling the autopsy report puts it a bit differently. My WAG from the various reports is that this woman suffered a pulmonary embolism, possibly after a clot migrated from a peripheral vein. That would account for difficulty breathing followed by sudden collapse. There are a variety of risk factors, which include being immobilized/bedridden for a period of time, and the risk goes up if the person is overweight, smokes, has a blood coagulation disorder etc. etc. If you “died from a blood clot from being overweight”, people would be dropping like flies. I suspect every hospital/E.R.'s nightmare is the frequent problem hypochondriacal patient (not saying this woman fits the mold) who shows up over and over again with what are viewed as attention-seeking but minimal to nonexistent complaints and ties up time and resources (making a commotion and requiring police intervention would be the icing on the cake), who ultimately proves to have a real problem but isn’t taken seriously enough due to past history. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/19 "2015-12-23T23:35:36Z")
This is a better article. [http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Woman-Dies-Shortly-after-Being-Arrested-in-Blountstown-363282091.html](http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Woman-Dies-Shortly-after-Being-Arrested-in-Blountstown-363282091.html) My granddad died of the same thing. He was in the hospital recovering after routine surgery and due to be released the next morning. That clot hit him and my aunt happened to be in the room visiting. She got help and the staff began emergency treatment. But he couldn’t be saved. That was in 1972. Don’t know if treatment options are better today. > [@](#): > > "Based on information from the 14th District ME’s office, Ms. Dawson passed away due to pulmonary saddle embolus, or a blood clot in her lungs. While we can’t speak about her condition, we can generally address this medical condition. A pulmonary embolism is often immediate and fatal. It is difficult to detect and can be impossible to treat. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbara-dawson-refused-to-leave-hospital-and-dies-after-being-forced-to-leave/741167/20 "2015-12-24T01:11:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’m guessing she’s black and poor and thus disposable in America. And in Florida.