ATLANTA — Attorneys for the mother of a man who died during a sleep study released part of the hospital video showing some of what happened on Friday. Those attorneys filed a lawsuit against Emory Hospital and the Wesley Woods Center.
Brandon Harris, 25, died in January 2010 after his mother enrolled him at the Emory Sleep Center to see if he suffered from sleep apnea. Harris was overweight, mentally challenged and had congestive heart failure.
"My objective is simply to make sure that Brandon's death was not in vain and that those responsible will someday be held accountable," said Renee "Sunshine" Lewis at her attorneys' office.
Attorneys showed four minutes from what they say is an hour-long video. It shows Harris complaining of massive chest pains and shortness of breath as sleep technicians try to comfort him.
At one point in the video, Harris states he's afraid he's dying and coughs up blood. The video shows him collapsing on the bed twice. The final time, two women described as sleep technicians lower him to the floor.
Harris was rushed to nearby Emory Hospital, but died about an hour later.
Lewis' attorneys claim Harris should not have been made to lie down on the bed because of his medical condition. Instead, they said he should have been allowed to sleep in a more vertical position as he did at home.
Attorney Audrey Tolson of the Cochran Law Firm stated that because Harris had a mental capacity equal to a 10-year-old, he didn't feel he could go against the sleep techs' orders.
"They put him in a situation that he couldn't physically survive, and when they found he was in distress they did nothing to render aid to him," said Tolson.
In a written statement, an Emory Hospital spokesman said, "Emory shares the sense of loss felt so keenly by the family and friends of this young man. The care this patient received at Emory was appropriate given his medical condition."
The hospital spokesman also stated that this is the first such incident at the sleep center since it opened in the early 1990s.
The lawsuit is not seeking specific damages.
"I harbor no ill will or hatred in my heart for those involved," said Lewis' mother. "I pray that this litigation brings closure to this matter and that justice is obtained for my son."