Family Blames Nurse Shortage for Son’s Death in Georgia Emergency Room
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA — The family of a 35-year-old Georgia man who died by suicide inside a hospital emergency room is suing the facility, alleging that critical staffing shortages and improper supervision led to his preventable death.
The wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit, filed against Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, claims that nurses, a physician, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and the hospital’s parent companies failed to provide the necessary level of care for Michael Sharadin, who was seeking emergency psychiatric help.
Sharadin, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, called 911 from a Savannah hotel on January 12, 2024, saying he was in crisis and needed immediate help.
“I’m having a nervous breakdown,” Sharadin told the dispatcher. “I’m having suicidal thoughts. I don’t know what I’m doing. Please help me.”
Emergency responders transported him to Memorial Health’s emergency department, where he was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold, known as a 1013.
Psychiatric Unit Closed Due to Staffing Shortages
According to the lawsuit and police body camera footage reviewed by InvestigateTV, the hospital’s psychiatric unit, known as “D-pod,” was closed that day because of insufficient nursing staff.
Instead of being admitted to the specialized behavioral unit, Sharadin was placed in a general ER room and assigned to “line of sight” observation — a standard requiring continuous visual monitoring for at-risk patients.
The lawsuit alleges that hospital staff failed to maintain that supervision, allowing Sharadin to take his own life while alone in the room.
Attorneys for the Sharadin family argue that the hospital’s failure to uphold safe staffing levels and properly monitor high-risk patients represents a systemic issue that endangered both psychiatric and general emergency patients.
Hospital and Staff Named in Lawsuit
The complaint names multiple defendants, including Memorial Health University Medical Center, several nurses and physicians on duty, and the facility’s corporate parent company, HCA Healthcare.
The family’s attorneys contend that understaffing, lack of training, and a disregard for psychiatric safety standards led directly to Sharadin’s death.
The hospital has not publicly commented on the pending litigation.
Nationwide Nurse Shortage Raising Safety Concerns
The case highlights the broader national nurse staffing crisis, which has left hospitals across the U.S. struggling to fill critical roles, particularly in psychiatric and emergency departments.
According to the American Nurses Association, more than 100,000 nurses have left the profession since 2020, citing burnout, long hours, and unsafe patient loads. The shortage has been especially severe in Georgia, where some rural and urban hospitals have had to close or limit psychiatric services altogether.
Experts warn that the consequences can be deadly. Patients experiencing mental health crises often require continuous observation, but without enough trained staff, even short lapses can result in tragedy.
Mental Health Advocates Call for Reform
Mental health organizations are urging state and federal regulators to enforce minimum staffing ratios for psychiatric patients and require hospitals to maintain active crisis units.
“This tragedy underscores what we’ve been warning about for years,” said a representative from the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network. “When hospitals cut psychiatric staff, people in crisis fall through the cracks — and lives are lost.”
Sharadin’s family hopes the lawsuit will bring accountability and prevent similar cases in the future.
“This wasn’t just a system failure,” the family’s attorney said. “It was a preventable death caused by neglect and understaffing.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available 24/7.
