In September 2023, Jennifer Knight, 37, arrived at the emergency room at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton describing acute chest pain and shortness of breath. Instead of being evaluated, she was sent to the registration line, where she later collapsed and died.
The Boston Globe reports that Knight’s family is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit in connection with her death. The case concerns the circumstances of Knight’s care that night.
According to the account, Zachos sent Knight back to the registration line. The account does not specify whether she received an electrocardiogram. Knight later collapsed and died while waiting in the registration line. Her funeral was attended by more than 200 people.
An Emergency Room Buckling Under Its Own Weight
The night Knight arrived, Good Samaritan’s emergency department was operating under severe staffing pressure, according to the same Globe account. Zachos herself had worked 16 hours in triage without meal-break coverage or any break and had filed an unsafe staffing form two days later. The department’s staffing and screening procedures also came under scrutiny…