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Families Devastated After Hospital Mixes Up Identities of 2 Girls in Car Accident
Filed under: In The News
After spending nearly a week mourning her death, the family of a teenage girl found out that it was a case of mistaken identity, and she was actually alive. Now the two young women's families are trying to make sense of the tragedy.
Abby Guerra, 19, and Marlena Cantu, 21, were driving back from Disneyland with three other friends when their SUV had a blowout and they got into a car crash. The Guerras were told Abby had died at the scene, but six days later they were told Abby was alive and in critical condition at a Phoenix hospital, "The Early Show" reports.
The Cantu family spent days at the hospital, with the young woman whom they believed was Marlena.
"We were there all week ... day and night," Frank Cantu tells NBC. "I only slept eight hours all week."
Dental records were used to finally identify the injured woman as Guerra, who was in critical condition with a brain injury, broken back, collapsed lung and other injuries.
"You're ecstatic for one -- I mean, it's a miracle, but in the same, you're angry because we've mourned all week," says Guerra's aunt, Dorenda Cisneros.
Finding out their daughter was really dead has been a blow to the Cantu family, says Marlena's friend Colleen Donovan.
"Every day they went [to the hospital] having hope that she's living one more day, then to find out it's not her," Donovan tells the Arizona Republic. "And Abby's parents, too. They've gone through all these emotions, and now they find out she's really alive. Abby still has a struggle to survive."
The Guerra family held a car wash over the weekend to raise money for Abby's funeral, but now the money will go toward her hospital bills and Cantu's funeral.
John Stanley -- athletics director at the University of Evansville, where Guerra plays soccer -- says soccer players who came to Arizona expecting to attend her funeral are now there to support Guerra's family, NBC reports.
"They were grief-stricken to learn of the death because of Abby's popularity," Stanley says. "Now, they understand that the situation is still very critical. They now have gone from planning to go to a funeral ... to having some degree of hope."
Another friend involved in the crash, Tyler Parker, 20, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where he died the next day, NBC reports.
"I can't explain this ... my grief," Cantu says. "All along I was led to believe that was Marlena ... and it wasn't."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
7-26-2010 @ 2:42PM
Barbara said...This is the second time this has happened in In and I don't understand why it even happened the first time. My daughter was killed in a car crash while on a school outing. She was the school mascot and on her way to a game with 5 other teens in the van and was the only one killed, but her best friend was severely injured with a brain injury. When we were told, I insisted on seeing her but was advised by our minister not to see her face. I told him I didn't need to see her face, I would know if it was her if I could just see even one finger. We were allowed to see her hands and that was all it took for my husband and I to know it was indeed her. I believe any parent can identify their child without seeing their face. I also realize parents don't want to believe it is not their child in the hospital, because that would mean their child was the one that had died. My sincerest hopes and regrets to both families.
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 6:13PM
MICKEY said...I wouldn't be too harsh on this hospital. By the way the victim sounds, she may not make it, or worse yet, she may actually live and be a vegetable for the rest of her life. At that point, you would probably would wish that she had died that day. I don't mean to sound cruel, its just that sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. I would leave it in God's hands. I would also try to figure out what happened with the tire and why it blew out.
7-26-2010 @ 6:24PM
katie said...I am a Critical Care RN. I have seen horrific cases, and you think this type of situation cannot possibly happen. I remember reading about your daughters accident. My heart went out to both families. So much grief. I thought maybe this was an update. Sadly, it is not. May all four families eventually find peace.
7-26-2010 @ 10:30PM
Julai said...Barbara you claim that no matter what you would know your child. I don't think so. Not if your child was in an accident with an injury that was of the head and face. After an accident and or surgery the face would be badly swollen and it would be hard to identify someone, even a close loved one. Now if there was a birth mark or scar or tat that was not covered by dressing or sheets then you would be able to know for sure. In other words, if you are not the parents in this case....DO NOT JUDGE others. All we can hope for is that we are able to identify our children if they are in an accident and injured in the same way as this girl.
7-26-2010 @ 5:23PM
Heath said...This is another good argument to have your child's fingerprints on file at home. Not just in case they get abducted. If the child is so injured that identification by sight is impossible, they can still get some fingerprints which someone in local law enforcement can compare quickly and easily. That's how we identify John Does who are brought in to the hospital or morgue, so why isn't it done when there is even the slightest possibility of a tragedy like this?
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7-26-2010 @ 9:00PM
colleen said...It had to be a family member that made the id because no one else would know who was who.
7-26-2010 @ 9:27PM
jspaggs said...This was an episode of "House"
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 6:03PM
Pamela Heebner said...When someone is brought in to the hospital by ambulance in this condition the only thought is to give the medical help to save that patient. And I can tell you she received tremendous medical care to still be alive with those injuries! The identification usually is done by the police officers who were at the scene and come to the hospital.
I feel for these families but they need to realize why the one girl is still alive - and that is because she got good medical care. They need to find out where the mistaken identity happened and why. I take it that the SUV flipped and their ID (license's, etc went flying).
This girl's family sat by her bedside all week and didn't know their own child? How do you expect hospital personnel to know who she really was?
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 6:15PM
teltech543 said...I saw this on a made for TV movie
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 6:14PM
Laura said...This sounds eerily familiar. Remember the story of Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak? The book was called "Mistaken Identity".
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 6:12PM
quest89 said...this is why hospital workers are overpaid, most of the time sitting at counter talking about their personal lives rather then paying attention to detail on their jobs
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7-26-2010 @ 6:23PM
Elizabeth said...Really? Over paid and not paying attention to details- like looking at a TOTAL stranger and not knowing immediately who she is? First of all, it is the police who ID the victim, not the hospital. Second of all, the FAMILY sat next to this girl for a WEEK and didn't recognize her. I seriously hope no one judges you at your job just because you aren't running around every single second of the day.
7-26-2010 @ 6:58PM
Cindy said...Excuse me but if you were in the Medical field you would have a different view, health care providers work their tails off & it's still not ever good enough for families that think they are the only ones in the hospital.
7-27-2010 @ 3:30PM
turnernc said...Overpaid????? Let's see if you think that next time you or a loved one is in the hospital. As an ICU nurse for the last 25 years, I have helped save countless lives, both on and off the job. When was the last time you did that?
7-26-2010 @ 8:19PM
docsince98 said...I'm assuming that you had a had a bad experience within the Healthcare arena. My wife is a charge nurse (R.N.) in a Critical Care unit. I'm a Physician at a large county teaching hospital. My wife is always busy. There is a nationwide shortage of Physicians and Nursing personell. My wife is highly trained, knowledgable, competent and kind. At one time, she was able to spend more time with her patients, which is one reason she chose nursing. Those days are long gone.
It takes an incredible amount of patience to be a nurse. So many patients and family members assume that a nurse is always at their beck and call. Many patients assume that their needs supercede the needs of the other patients. At the hospital where I work, the nursing staff are extremely dedicated and hard working. The patient load is increasing while the supply of Physicians and Nurses is declining. As the average age our population increases, the problem will only get worse.
I can't render an opinion on the horrible and sad circumstances of this incident because I don't know the facts. I do know that the mountain of paperwork and data that Physicians, Nurses and other healthcare workers are required to maintain is almost overwhelming.
7-26-2010 @ 6:22PM
Dee said...I don't mean to belittle hospital workers, because there are so many good ones out there that are like "angels," however, like in any job, there are some really bad ones too. We live in the metro Phoenix area, and my son has Tourettes, and let me tell you, we have been to so many doctors who misdignosed him, due to their lack of knowledge about the disorder, prescibed severely wrong meds, and ran up thousands in medical bills leading us to no relief for my son, who still suffers. The medical staff in so many places is as mentioned by another blogger -- they merely sit around discussing their own personal lives and not taking serious the importance of their jobs! Our prayers go out to the Guerra and Cantu families!
Reply
7-26-2010 @ 8:41PM
Irish Mist said...Until and unless you work in an ER or a CCU, your opinion does not mean sqwat. Stop watching tv programs that make it seem funand games with a little bit of trouble once in a while and get a job in either and find out what it is really like. It will open your eyes, if you can last evenone shift that is.
7-26-2010 @ 6:24PM
CHris said...This is sad....but people the EMS, ER and hospital people are NOT the one to ID a person they treat them.
Law Enforcement ID's the victims the best they can. If it's a traffic accident... they don't do DNA testing when the person is "known". If the victim has an ID card on them, that's "who they are".
It's hard, but the families need to step up and make sure the ID is correct. I know my daughter and two tattoos (I don't like) an where and what they are. I have her finger prints on file. I up to date photos...she has an I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) listing in her cell phone. All EMD/Law Enforcement knows what that is! Do your part, be informed and always hope for the best but PREPARE for the worst.
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7-26-2010 @ 6:31PM
Katie said...Are you an idiot? Because you sure sound like one! I am a Critical Care RN. I KNOW what goes on in these situations!! And NO one is sitting around talking about their personal life. You are obviously the village idiot, looking for attention. Why don't you do something constructive and shut it? Your moronic comments do nothing to console these families.
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7-26-2010 @ 7:42PM
lee said...I guess the keyword is 'critical' care nurse, because I sure have laid in a hospital bed listening ad nauseum to the wing nurses babbling on about their husbands/children/weekend plans.....and to hit that 'call' button is like dropping some sort of bomb....they get pissed, real pissed. And no I'm not one of those demanding, out-of-touch-with-reality kind of people. They may or may not tend to your question/comment, and hurriedly rush back to continue their socializing. I guess this is something overpaid executives don't have time to notice or address.