Barbara Dawson died at the age of 57 on December 21 after pleading with the Calhoun Liberty Hospital not to release her after seeking medical attention at the hospital’s emergency department. According to reports from ABC News, Dawson was treated and stabilized by the staff in the hospital’s emergency department and was then discharged from the hospital’s care. Dawson, however, did not want to leave and pleaded with the staff to continue to treat her. After her pleading was deemed unwarranted by the staff, the staff told Dawson that she was discharged from the hospital’s care and she would need to leave the hospital. At that point the police department was called to help aid in removing Dawson from the hospital.
The officer, who at this point remains unnamed, arrived on the scene he immediately and began to remove Dawson from the hospital. In recently released audio footage Dawson can be heard pleading with the officer. The officer remains adamant that he thought Dawson was being non-compliant and refusing to follow the directions of the hospital staff or himself. When the officer and Dawson reached the parking lot she collapsed, at which point the officer then directed the staff to to help him with Dawson. She was readmitted into the hospital but shortly died from a blood clot undetected earlier. Dawson is unseen during most of the video but can clearly be heard saying, “Oh my God” and saying she felt she could not breathe. The officer is then heard in the video demanding Dawson to get into his police cruiser. The hospital staff and the officer are seen attempting to lift Dawson. The officer is heard saying,
We surely don’t want to hurt you … but you are going go to jail one way or the other, OK? So you can help us … or we can do it the hard way.
Dashcam footage was also released, showing the incident as it unfolded in the parking lot. Martha Smith-Dixon, representing Dawson’s family, released a statement during a news conference regarding the ongoing investigation of Dawson’s death:
Police are supposed to protect and serve. The hospital is supposed to save lives. When Barbara, our family member, went to the hospital, she was denied all of those rights.
The incident and those involved are under investigation at both the hospital and the police department. CEO of the Calhoun Liberty Hospital, Ruth Attaway, released this statement regarding Dawson’s death.
First, we continue to grieve the loss of a patient and a member of the community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Ms. Dawson as well as with our community. Our primary objective in this situation is to remain transparent and to welcome investigation from authorities. We have already welcomed reviews and investigations from the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as well as the Department of Health. To the fullest extent permitted by state and federal law, we will continue to be transparent and forthcoming with our community and the public.
As reported by CNN, the medical examiner report indicated she died from a blood clot in her lungs. Calhoun Liberty Hospital said in an earlier statement, “A pulmonary embolism is often immediate and fatal,” the hospital said. “It is difficult to detect and can be impossible to treat.”
The hospital has been tight-lipped regarding the exact reason why Dawson was released. Although the staff remains confident that Dawson was stabilized, it is unclear why they released her while she continued to beg for treatment. The investigation is still underway and it is not yet known if the family will file a wrongful death suit.
A police report of the incident sent by the Blountstown Police Department to ABC affiliate WTXL-TV said the responding officer who was arresting Dawson believed “Dawson was just being non-compliant and making herself dead weight in an effort to avoid going to jail.”
Daryl Parks, an attorney for Dawson’s family, said that the officer’s assumption “cost Barbara Dawson her life.”
