SPOKANE, Wash. (Gray News) - Fifteen nurses have been fired at a Washington state children’s hospital after a 12-year-old girl died by suicide at the facility where she was advised to have 24-hour supervision.
According to a filed lawsuit, on the night of April 13, Sarah Niyimbona, 12, left her room in the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and died after jumping off a parking garage.
On the night of April 13, Sarah Niyimbona, 12, left her room in the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital alone and died after jumping off a parking garage, according to a lawsuit.(Source: Asha Joseph/GoFundMe)
Beginning in late 2024, Sarah was repeatedly admitted to Sacred Heart’s emergency department because of multiple attempts to end her own life.
The filing says that despite the need for 24-hour supervision of Sarah, Providence removed the health care worker assigned to monitor her, along with removing the video monitoring system from her room.
On that tragic night, the lawsuit accuses the staff of failing to supervise the child, allowing her to escape in the early evening to walk freely throughout the hospital.
Sarah then reached the fourth floor of the parking structure on the hospital, where she jumped off, suffering catastrophic injuries.
Fifteen nurses have since been fired, and one nurse was disciplined after being questioned over how Sarah was able to leave her room undetected, according to the Spokesman-Review.
The union said the nurses have filed a grievance, a process that “could take a long time” to resolve.
Sarah was remembered on a GoFundMe page as a “shining light” who “touched the hearts of everyone she met.”
According to a filed lawsuit, on the night of April 13, Sarah Niyimbona, 12, left her room in the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and died after jumping off a parking garage.
On the night of April 13, Sarah Niyimbona, 12, left her room in the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital alone and died after jumping off a parking garage, according to a lawsuit.(Source: Asha Joseph/GoFundMe)
Beginning in late 2024, Sarah was repeatedly admitted to Sacred Heart’s emergency department because of multiple attempts to end her own life.
The filing says that despite the need for 24-hour supervision of Sarah, Providence removed the health care worker assigned to monitor her, along with removing the video monitoring system from her room.
On that tragic night, the lawsuit accuses the staff of failing to supervise the child, allowing her to escape in the early evening to walk freely throughout the hospital.
Sarah then reached the fourth floor of the parking structure on the hospital, where she jumped off, suffering catastrophic injuries.
Fifteen nurses have since been fired, and one nurse was disciplined after being questioned over how Sarah was able to leave her room undetected, according to the Spokesman-Review.
The union said the nurses have filed a grievance, a process that “could take a long time” to resolve.
Sarah was remembered on a GoFundMe page as a “shining light” who “touched the hearts of everyone she met.”
Was going to post this but it was too sad. Baby girl was going through it…
then jumped off a parking garage.