Nurse was 'worked to death,' suit contends
An Ohio nurse who died in a car accident after working a 12-hour shift was “worked to death,” according to a suit filed by her husband.
The wrongful death suit says Beth Jasper had to work extra shifts and without breaks because the hospital where she worked was “regularly understaffed,” report CNN, WLWT and WCPO. Jasper died in March after crashing her car while driving home from work at the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, which is owned by the Mercy Health Group.
Lawyer Eric Deters, who represents Jasper’s husband, Jim Jasper, says Beth Jasper’s accident may have been caused when the 38-year-old nurse fell asleep while driving. The suit claims Jasper’s supervisor had told hospital officials that Jasper was being “worked to death” but nothing was done to combat the problem.
Jasper often had to work on her days off because she was one of the few nurses qualified to work the dialysis machines, the suit says.
Mercy said in a statement that it does not comment on pending litigation. “Our hearts go out to the family,” the suit says.
