Strasbourg: octogenarian died while waiting in the emergency room, the family will file a complaint

They want his disappearance not to go unanswered.

The relatives of the octogenarian who recently died after a very long wait in the emergency room of Strasbourg University Hospitals (HUS) want "all the light to be shed" on this death and will file a complaint, their lawyer said on Wednesday.

"The family will file a complaint, either by joining the action of the Strasbourg prosecutor's office if it has already opened an investigation, or, if that is not the case, by taking the necessary steps "so that the criminal action be initiated and that an investigation” for “manslaughter against X (…) be carried out to shed full light on the circumstances” of the death, declared Me Matthieu Airoldi.

The prosecutor of the Republic of Strasbourg, Yolande Renzi, "does not communicate on these files", indicated a spokesperson for the prosecution.

The victim's widow and two daughters believe that, "at the very least, there are big questions to be asked about the treatment which (the patient) received or which he did not receive in the emergency room" of the HUS , he continued.

“We want the light to be shed,” he insisted, adding that his clients wanted to remain anonymous and no longer wished to communicate afterwards.

Already another death for lack of care

The patient's death, which occurred on September 1, was publicized by the FO union, which immediately wrote to the Minister of Health, François Braun, to denounce "the deleterious operation of emergencies" at the HUS, where a previous patient had died. in March after waiting a dozen hours before being taken care of.

The death of the octogenarian intervened "36 hours after the filing of a right of alert" by FO "denouncing yet another situation of blockage and overload of emergencies" of the New Civil Hospital (NHC) of Strasbourg, according to the missive sent to Minister Braun.

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According to Me Airoldi, "we had a very, very fragmented transmission of the patient's file" but which indicates "holes and a period of at least three hours" during which he "was left without supervision and without care while he was extremely agitated in the emergency room”.

"He was a patient followed by the nephrology and urology department" of the hospital, so "why was he not transferred to these departments instead, who knew him and who could have taken him in hand ?

“, still wonders the council.

The lawyer, who does not know the cause of death, also did not indicate why the pensioner had been admitted to the emergency room.