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An Illinois patient was pronounced dead roughly 14 hours after she was found unresponsive on a hospital roof, per PEOPLE.
According to Lake County coroner Jennifer Banek, 28-year-old Chelsea Adolphus was admitted as a patient at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan on January 22 for "medical treatment and help." Adolphus left her room in the early hours of January 23 and wasn't found for more than seven hours, Banek said during a press conference last week. The patient was discovered on the medical center's rooftop wearing only a hospital gown.
Medical staff attempted to resuscitate Adolphus for 14 hours, but she was pronounced dead later that night.
According to preliminary autopsy findings, Adolphus died of hypothermia. Adolphus' body temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit when she was initially taken to the hospital's emergency department, Banek said.
Banek noted that authorities believe Adolphus exited out of a door that "didn't have alarms" on it, and it wasn't possible to "return back inside" through the door after it was closed. The coroner added that she previously voiced concerns about safety and care measures at the hospital.
“I had warned during a February 2024 press conference that lives were at stake,” Banek said during last week's press conference. "American Healthcare Systems [the owner of Vista] must be held accountable to provide safe, quality healthcare to Waukegan and its surrounding communities."
The hospital issued the following statement addressing the incident.
"Our sincere condolences go out to the family during this difficult time. During an ongoing investigation and in accordance with HIPAA regulations, the hospital will not disclose any patient's specific health information."
Attorney Ben Crump announced last week that Adolphus' family had filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
"We want surveillance to be released, we want 911 calls to be released, we want reports of her medical reports to be released so that the family will know the whole truth of how Chelsea, this beautiful young woman, ended up dying," he said. "She had her whole life ahead of her."
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