A Seattle couple has filed a $10 million lawsuit against an Oregon hospital, alleging staff instructed them to drive their deceased 9-month-old son’s body more than four hours home after he died during a family trip.
According to the complaint, Aleksandr and Nataliya Yeremeyev were told by staff at Salem Hospital that using a local funeral home to transport their son, Michael, to Seattle would be too expensive. Instead, they claim hospital employees advised them to take his body home in their personal vehicle.
The lawsuit alleges that staff suggested Michael’s body could either be secured in his car seat or laid flat in the back of the vehicle. The grieving parents ultimately chose the latter option.
The couple says they expressed concerns about transporting their son’s body over such a long distance and requested an additional blanket to cover him during the drive. According to the complaint, Aleksandr made the trip in a state of shock and grief, fearing a traffic stop, an accident, or the continued deterioration of his son’s remains.
During the drive to Seattle, the family contacted funeral homes to arrange final services. The lawsuit alleges that after arriving, Aleksandr had to clean bodily fluids that had leaked from Michael’s body onto the vehicle’s interior.
Attorney Anna Brunkenhoefer, who represents the family, called the situation “shocking” and argued that the hospital should have had policies in place to handle such circumstances with greater care and dignity.
A Child With Significant Health Challenges
According to the lawsuit, Michael was born on January 10, 2024, with Down syndrome and other serious medical conditions. He spent the first six months of his life hospitalized before finally being able to live at home with his family.
In September 2024, the Yeremeyevs took Michael on what was intended to be his first family getaway, traveling to a Christian retreat in Salem, Oregon.
Early on September 22, after Michael reportedly began experiencing shallow and rapid breathing, his father rushed him to Salem Hospital’s emergency department. Despite medical efforts to save him, Michael died several hours later.
The complaint states that hospital staff initially instructed the parents not to approach their son’s body while they waited for a medical examiner. After what the lawsuit describes as a lengthy delay, the family was informed that the medical examiner would not be coming.
Dispute Over How to Return Michael Home
The lawsuit alleges that the parents repeatedly asked hospital employees how to transport their son’s body back to Seattle and specifically requested assistance from a funeral home.
Instead, according to the complaint, hospital staff discouraged that option because of the cost and advised the family to transport the body themselves.
The lawsuit further claims that Aleksandr was given only a handwritten note from Michael’s physician stating that the child had died at the hospital, leaving him concerned about what might happen if he were stopped by law enforcement during the trip.
After reaching Seattle, the family reportedly took Michael directly to a funeral home they had contacted while en route.
Hospital Declines Comment
Salem Health declined to discuss the allegations, citing the pending litigation.
The lawsuit, filed in Oregon’s Multnomah County Circuit Court, names Salem Hospital and one of its emergency physicians as defendants. The Yeremeyevs allege that the experience caused severe emotional distress and psychological harm, and they are seeking approximately $10 million in noneconomic damages, with the final amount to be determined by a jury.
The family’s attorneys say the lawsuit is intended not only to address their own experience, but also to prevent other grieving families from facing similar circumstances in the future.
