A Fatal Mistake: How Misidentification at PeaceHealth Southwest Unraveled Lives and Trust

In a harrowing quagmire of life and death decisions, an egregious error at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center has left a family grappling with immeasurable grief and outrage. A lawsuit now looms in Clark County, Washington, aiming to hold those accountable for a fateful mistake that led to the withdrawal of life support from the wrong patient.

It all began in the summer of 2021 when David Wells, a patient at PeaceHealth, found himself unconscious after a dinner mishap — choking on a piece of steak. The medical staff, seeking clarity on whether to continue life support, inadvertently reached out to the family of his hospital roommate, Michael Beehler. This was no small mix-up. “They said, ‘He’s basically brain dead,’” recounted Debbie Danielson, Beehler’s sister, to KGW. “‘Do you want us to keep him on life support or do you want to pull the plug?’” A grim choice was made — but it pertained to the wrong man.

At that moment, a local death notice proclaimed, “Michael A. Beehler, 60, Vancouver, died Aug. 9, 2021,” setting the stage for a surreal series of events. Danielson, engulfed in confusion and disbelief, soon received a startling phone call from her very-much-alive brother. “You can’t be alive. You’re dead!’” she exclaimed, a moment that reads like a plot twist from a thriller.

The aftermath of this tragic folly unfolded days later as the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office finally unraveled the identity snafu. The body in question was indeed Wells, not Beehler. The grim revelation was delivered to Wells’ son, Shawn, who had already mourned his father without ever having had the right to say goodbye. “They basically told me there was a medical emergency regarding my father. He had been pronounced dead,” Shawn Wells shared with KGW, adding salt to a two-year-old wound.

Shawn, Beehler, and Danielson have since embarked on a legal crusade against PeaceHealth for negligence and the emotional distress they’ve been forced to endure. “I’m at a loss for words how badly they handled this,” Shawn lamented, his quest for closure overshadowed by the longing for an apology that remains elusive.

In response, a spokesperson for PeaceHealth acknowledged efforts to bolster patient identification processes, stating: “Our unwavering commitment of caring for our community remains stronger than ever,” though the shadow of unresolved litigation restricts further disclosure.

Compounding the chaos, American Medical Response ambulance service, All County Cremation & Burial funeral home, and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office are embroiled in a separate lawsuit. The claim — that each entity failed in some capacity, contributing to the web of misidentification — only deepens the family’s distress. Further aggravation came with the news that Wells’ organs were donated without family consent, “against his wishes.”

Amid the tumult, the family seeks not just accountability but answers to a cascade of errors that have upended their lives. Shawn Wells’ poignant words reverberate: “It’s disturbing. I don’t know if I’m going to get over it. They dropped the ball so egregiously.” The story of David Wells, Michael Beehler, and their families is one that underscores the human cost of institutional failure — a stark reminder that the systems we trust with our lives must not falter.