Man found dead outside in Somerset had left hospital against advice of staff
A 49-year-old man was found dead outside in Pulaski County on Friday.
Donald Perdue was found dead behind a Baptist Health clinic in Somerset at around 1 p.m., Shawn Dobbs, a captain with the Somerset Police Department said. The body had been sent for an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.
Perdue’s body was found with “frostbite to the most extreme level,” said Melisa Perdue, the man’s sister and legal guardian, in an interview with WKYT.
In an accident over four years ago, Donald had severed his spinal cord and suffered a traumatic brain injury, Melisa said.
Prior to last week’s frigid blast of sub-zero temperatures, Donald had been receiving care at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital but “made a personal decision to leave the hospital against the advice of his care team,” the hospital said in a statement on Wednesday.
Melisa said she and her family began looking for Donald after they heard he’d been released. According to WKYT, she added that her brother had received good care at the hospital but was angry that they let him leave.
“It’s so egregious that they didn’t follow the judge’s orders, and I never want this to happen again. People make mistakes, they make bad judgment calls, but this was a little bit more than that,” Melisa said.
Hospital officials said they are fully cooperating with the police department while also internally evaluating the situation.
“While we are limited in what details we can share due to patient privacy laws, we stand firm behind the decisions made by our caregivers,” the hospital’s statement read.
“Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones,” the hospital said.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 8:34 AM.