Additional Coverage:
- Toddler tragically dies during routine dentist visit as grieving family cries for answers (themirror.com)
Family Demands Answers After Toddler Dies During Dental Procedure in North Carolina
A North Carolina family is seeking answers and accountability after their 2-year-old son tragically died during what was expected to be a routine dental procedure in July.
David Mitchell and Shardé Sherrill brought their son, Er’Mias, to Valleygate Dental Surgery Center for tooth caps. The parents report they were only informed of a medical emergency approximately 40 minutes into the surgery, and critically, after an ambulance had already transported their son to a hospital located 30 minutes away.
By the time Mitchell and Sherrill arrived at the hospital, driving separately, it was too late. Er’Mias succumbed to injuries, the specifics of which have not been publicly disclosed.
While dental health experts acknowledge that complications, though exceedingly rare, can arise during such procedures, leading to severe outcomes, the family maintains that they have not received their son’s medical records. They also claim they were previously made aware of an issue concerning Er’Mias’s lungs and the anesthesia administered during the procedure.
Valleygate’s CEO, Virginia Jones, addressed the situation in a letter to partners and employees. “Let me be clear, we do not yet know what caused Er’mias’ tragedy,” Jones wrote.
“We may never know. While exceedingly rare, unexpected events can occur, even under the most carefully controlled circumstances.”
Jones also offered an apology to the parents for the delay in notification. “The medical, dental, nursing, EMS, and hospital staff who responded to Er’mias did so with professionalism and did everything they could to prevent this tragedy,” she stated.
“In the urgency of the situation, our focus was solely on providing care. We regret that this prevented us from notifying his family sooner and recognize how painful that delay was.”
In their pursuit of clarity, the family organized a protest outside the dental facility on September 25. Demonstrators handed out flyers demanding “Actions were unethical and we need answers as to why.”
Constance McCrae, Er’Mias’s great-aunt, voiced the family’s outrage at the protest. “You sat there, you waited, you never notified his parents.
You took this baby alone in an ambulance and told them they needed to go to the hospital…?” McCrae questioned, emphasizing the routine nature of the visit.
“This baby was going for dental work … dental work. It wasn’t like he was going for open heart surgery.”
The Greensboro Police Department and the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners have both launched investigations into the toddler’s death.