Hospital Error Leads to Wrong Patient's Life Support Being Turned Off

A Washington hospital faces lawsuits after mistakenly ending life support for David Wells, following a mix-up with his roommate's identity.

David Wells died in August 2021 after hospital staff mistakenly identified him as his roommate, Michael Beehler, and ended his life support.
Beehler's family, believing it was their relative, made the decision to terminate life support, unaware of the identity error.
The mix-up was discovered days later when Beehler regained consciousness and contacted his family, who had already planned his funeral.
Wells' son, Shawn Wells, only learned of the error two years later and has joined Beehler and his family in filing lawsuits against the hospital and other institutions.
The Washington State investigation found gaps in the hospital's patient identification processes, prompting the institution to implement procedural changes.