Fraser Health is launching an investigation after a Chilliwack woman says she was forced to spend the night in the pouring rain with a broken femur.
Mary Stewart was the victim of a hit-and-run on Sept. 9 in Chilliwack.
She was struck by a vehicle while crossing Williams Street near Bole Avenue just after 1 a.m., but the vehicle did not stop.
She was rushed to hospital where she was admitted for tests.
Her ex-husband , Eddie Julian, says when Stewart was brought to the hospital, she was examined, had an x-ray and then given some pain medication. Staff did more exams and Stewart said she was still in pain. She then apparently asked for more medication but staff refused.
Julian says the doctor told Stewart they looked things over and she was okay and released her.
They then moved her to the entrance to wait for it to stop raining, but another nurse apparently approached her and said she needed to leave because she’d been released. And that if they didn’t leave, the hospital would call the police.
Stewart, who was then waiting with her current partner, didn’t have a ride but left the hospital and spent the night in a back alley near the hospital because it was too painful for her to be wheeled along the road and she couldn’t go any further.
“I don’t know why she was released,” said Julian. “I saw her. I’m not a doctor but I could tell she was pretty broken up.”
They then went to the pharmacy in the morning and Julian says the pharmacist told them to go back to the hospital. When they arrived, a nurse apparently said staff was looking for them as Stewart had some broken bones, including a broken femur.
WATCH:Woman says she was kicked out of Chilliwack hospital
Dr. Jennifer Wilson, who works at Chilliwack General Hospital, also spoke to Global News, saying “on behalf of myself and my hospital, I’m very sorry. We do not feel this is up to the standard of care that we should be providing.”
She says after Stewart was discharged, more information did come in about her test results and they reached out to bring her back to the hospital immediately.
Fraser Health says they can’t say why Stewart was discharged in the first place but will be launching a formal review into what happened.
Tasleem Juma, a spokesperson for Fraser Health, says they were very concerned when they heard about this story.
“Immediately, when we discovered she had been prematurely discharged, we reached out to have her brought back to the hospital and to receive treatment,” said Juma.
“The review process is going to look at speaking to everybody who was involved in her care – from triage all the way to discharge. In the meantime, we will continue to provide her with care and we’ve connected her to our elder in residence and so she has regular support from our elder in residence. This is someone who provides guidance and counselling but also ensures that Indigenous perspectives and the approach to health care and well-being is incorporated into our system and our care as well.”
Juma told Global News it is still not clear exactly why Stewart was released in the first place but the review will hopefully answer those questions.
“It is not something we want to rush through, we want to take the time necessary to do it right.”
Juma did acknowledge Stewart had been discharged early.
Stewart is still recovering from her injuries and receiving treatment and her family is seeking legal representation.
-With files from Jordan Armstrong
NOTE: This article has been edited following some discrepancies in the timeline of events.
PHOTOS: Mary Stewart outside the hospital. (Photos submitted to Global News)
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