A TODDLER tragically died in a dentist’s office, and his parents allege he was taken to the hospital without their knowledge.
The two-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after a visit to the dentist for a routine operation to cap his teeth.
Er’mias, 2, died after visiting the dentist for a simple procedure[/caption]
Shardé Sherrill called her son her “miracle baby”[/caption]
David Mitchell was the father to the young boy[/caption]
Shardé Sherill and David Mitchell claim they never got to say goodbye to their son Er’mias before he was brought to the hospital.
On July 17, Sherill and Mitchell took Er’mias to Valleygate Dental Surgery Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, for what should’ve been a simple oral surgery, NBC affiliate WXII reported.
Mitchell, who called Er’mias his “miracle baby,” said his son was doing fine in the morning before the surgery.
“[Valleygate] checked his heart, checked his weight, and checked everything. It was all good until they took him back there,” Mitchell said.
Er’mias was put in the ambulance and taken to the hospital about 40 minutes after the dental team took him for his appointment.
Sherill and Mitchell claim that the nurse only told them about the complications after he was on his way to the hospital.
The nurse said that the boy’s lungs had collapsed after he was put under anesthesia, his parents say.
“We was like, so where’s our son?” Mitchell said.
“He was already gone in the ambulance and we was like, why don’t you tell us?”
Sherill and Mitchell said they needed to drive 30 minutes to the hospital, but arrived too late.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Er’mias was dead.
“Now, I got so many questions that’s unanswered,” Mitchell said.
Now, Mitchell and Sherill are seeking reparations from the hospital for the “traumatizing experience.”
“Never would I have thought that I only have two years with my baby,” Kyra Smith, the toddler’s grandmother, told WXII.
I don’t want to let his name go in vain. I want them to say his name. Er’Mias Lewis Mitchell.
Kyra Smith, the toddler’s grandmother
“It’s traumatizing, so I just want families to be aware, I want to bring awareness.
“I don’t want to let his name go in vain. I want them to say his name. Er’Mias Lewis Mitchell.”
The family called out Valleygate’s “unethical” actions and demanded that the office explain why they didn’t tell them about their son’s emergency earlier.
“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,” Valleygate CEO Virginia Jones wrote in a statement to CBS affiliate WBTV.
“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.”
Jones continued, saying they may never know what caused Er’mias’ death.
“Let me be clear, we do not yet know what caused Er’mias’ tragedy,” Jones continued.
“We may never know. While exceedingly rare, unexpected events can occur, even under the most carefully controlled circumstances.”
