Michigan court revives lawsuit against Metro Detroit woman found alive in body bag

A Michigan appeals court has reopened a lawsuit against Metro Detroit paramedics after a woman pronounced dead gasped for air with her eyes open when a body bag was opened at a funeral home.

A judge wrongly dismissed the lawsuit in favor of the Southfield paramedics before the parties could conduct interviews and collect other evidence (a process known as discovery), the court said in a 3-0 ruling Thursday.

Timesha Beauchamp, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was having difficulty breathing when her family called 911 in August 2020.

Medical staff attempted to resuscitate her, but eventually called a doctor, who pronounced the 20-year-old dead without visiting the home. Beauchamp was never taken to a hospital.

Later that day, a funeral director opened the body bag and found Beauchamp’s eyes open. She was taken to the hospital but died two months later.

Beauchamp’s family accused the medical team of gross negligence. Oakland County Judge Nanci Grant dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that Southfield employees had immunity from the government.

Kali Henderson, an attorney for the medical team, acknowledged that it sounds “really bad” to say the paramedics and emergency medical technicians are not liable.

“Where do we have the facts that anything they could have done would have changed their condition?” Henderson told the appeals court on June 12.

But Judge Brock Swartzle said lawyers for Beauchamp’s estate had not yet taken witness statements or gathered additional information.

“Two months later, it might turn out that they were not responsible for her death,” he said of Beauchamp’s death. “To focus only on the fact that she was in a body bag for a period of time – that would terrify, shock and humiliate anyone, wouldn’t it?”

“Sure, Your Honor,” Henderson replied, “and I agree.”

The case will now be remanded to Oakland County court.

Immediately after Beauchamp was found alive, the Southfield fire chief said it might be a case of “Lazarus syndrome,” a condition that describes people who return to life without help after failed resuscitation attempts.