A Seattle couple has filed a lawsuit alleging that an Oregon hospital instructed them to transport their nearly 9-month-old son’s body home in their own vehicle after he died unexpectedly in the emergency department.
Aleksandr and Nataliya Yeremeyev are seeking $10 million from Salem Health and Dr. Stefani Sorensen. According to the complaint, the parents asked for guidance on arranging dignified care and transportation for their son, Michael, but hospital employees allegedly told them to take his body home themselves.
Michael, who had Down syndrome, spent the first six months of his life receiving treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“His parents had made sure that he had received really excellent care,” family attorney Anna Bruckenhoefer said in a statement, according to Fox 13. “So, I think it was a really, really sad and just very tragic way for his life to end and for it to be so undignified right there at the end.”
A Seattle couple is suing after hospital staff allegedly told them to drive their nearly 9-month-old son’s body four hours home in a private vehicle after his sudden death in an Oregon emergency room. (Google Maps)
The family was in Salem, Oregon, for a religious retreat on Sept. 22, 2024, when Michael began breathing rapidly and shallowly late at night. His parents rushed him to Salem Health Hospital, where he later died, the lawsuit states.
When the Yeremeyevs asked how they could have Michael’s remains transported respectfully to Seattle, hospital workers allegedly discouraged them from contacting a local funeral home, saying the option would be too costly. The complaint claims staff instead pressured the couple to take their son’s body in their personal vehicle, which they ultimately did because they felt they had no alternative.
“They have repeatedly asked the hospital for assistance in helping them with what are the next steps,” Bruckenhoefer said. “This was all occurring overnight. They felt rushed that they had to make quick decisions and the hospital left them with no choice other than to take Michael’s body with them and head back to Seattle.”
Aleksandr reportedly drove roughly four hours from Salem to Seattle with Michael’s body placed across the back seat. Nataliya and the couple’s other children traveled behind them in another car.
Aleksandr and Nataliya Yeremeyev are seeking $10 million from Salem Health and Dr. Stefani Sorensen. (Google Maps)
The lawsuit says Aleksandr endured intense emotional distress during the trip, worrying about potential traffic stops, a possible crash and the condition of his son’s body. After reaching a Seattle funeral home, he allegedly had to clean bodily fluids that had leaked onto the car seat.
“It is legal in the state of Oregon and in the state of Washington to transport a deceased with the proper permits. But that is not what our clients wanted to do here,” Bruckenhoefer said. “They were looking for help. They were looking for guidance. They were looking for the hospital to tell them, ‘These are the next steps.’”
She added that hospitals and emergency departments should have procedures to support families after a death. “No parents, no loved ones should ever be placed in the position that the Yeremeyev’s were placed in,” Bruckenhoefer said. “Just completely surprised that something like this would happen in 2026.”
The complaint identifies Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, Salem Health, Salem Emergency Physicians Service and Sorensen as defendants. It alleges direct negligence, vicarious liability and a failure to meet the heightened duty of care owed to grieving parents, including the respectful handling and custody of a child’s body.
The lawsuit says Aleksandr Yeremeyev drove about four hours from Salem to Seattle with his son’s body across the back seat. (Google Maps)
The family is seeking $10 million in noneconomic damages for severe emotional distress and psychological trauma. The complaint is also expected to be amended to seek punitive damages.
Salem Health said it could not discuss the child’s care because of privacy concerns and the ongoing litigation.
“Salem Hospital responded in accordance with the family’s wishes and followed both hospital policy and Oregon state law in consultation with the appropriate local authorities, including the medical examiner,” Salem Health said in a statement to Fox 13.
“Care with respect is a guiding principle of clinical practice at Salem Hospital and remains central to how we support patients and families during some of life’s most difficult moments,” the statement continued. “We recognize the profound grief families experience following the loss of a loved one and treat every patient and family with empathy, dignity, and respect.”
