A medical emergency at a Detroit hospital allegedly turned into a nightmare straight out of a horror movie.
Law & Crime is reporting that a Michigan family has filed a lawsuit claiming that doctors at Ascension St. John Hospital lost a portion of their beloved grandma’s skull after emergency brain surgery—and later tried to smooth things over with a $25 gas gift card.
According to the complaint, Edna Burton was rushed to the Detroit facility in 2023 after suffering a severe stroke. Doctors performed an urgent procedure known as a decompressive hemicraniectomy, which involves temporarily removing part of the skull to relieve dangerous pressure on the brain.
The expectation, the lawsuit states, was that the bone would be carefully stored and reattached once the swelling went down. That never happened.
When it was time to put the bone back, Burton and her family were allegedly told the hospital could not locate it. The lawsuit claims staff mixed up Burton’s bone flap with another patient’s remains after confusing her with someone who had a similar name.
“You threw her bone away,” Burton’s daughter, Erica Burton, said in an interview with WDIV, describing what she was told. “It’s not even about the money. You don’t know what you took from us.”
Instead of using Burton’s own skull, doctors reportedly implanted a synthetic replacement. Her legal team argues that the prosthetic lacks the protective and biological benefits of her original bone.
Medical records cited in the complaint include a note from Burton’s physician stating that her brain swelling had subsided and that her own bone flap should have been reattached—but it was unavailable. “Her bone was lost by the hospital,” the doctor allegedly wrote, noting that a prosthetic plate was used instead.
The lawsuit paints a grim picture of Burton’s current condition. Erica Burton says her mother is now bed-bound, no longer speaking or eating, and suffering from painful bed sores. A physical therapist allegedly stopped treatment, telling the family that the sessions were causing too much pain.
“What should have been part of her recovery became a terrifying ordeal,” the family’s attorneys said in a statement.
Adding to the shock, the lawsuit claims the hospital attempted to compensate Burton for her trouble with a $25 gas card.
In 2024, Henry Ford Health assumed operations of the hospital. A spokesperson told the outlet that the alleged incident occurred before the transition and said the system is seeking to have its name removed from the lawsuit.
The Detroit hospital, meanwhile, did not respond to requests for comment.