SEATTLE — A patient at Western State Hospital died after the state of Washington discontinued his trauma therapy three months earlier, despite recommendations from hospital staff to continue the treatment, according to the patient’s attorneys.
Pavel Kolchick, who had spent 18 years in state-run psychiatric hospitals, was found dead Monday morning after construction workers on the hospital campus discovered the tragedy. Sources with direct knowledge of the incident believe Kolchick climbed a construction crane on hospital grounds and either jumped or fell from its peak.
The incident has raised questions about whether the state Department of Social and Health Services, which operates the psychiatric hospital, could have prevented the death. Kolchick’s attorney, Amanda Ullrich, says he died before a legal battle over reinstating the treatment was resolved…