A teenage boy from Wisconsin was thought to have died in a frozen river. But the teen boy’s family claims that he was still alive when he was sent to the morgue, per the Daily Mail. 19-year-old Jake Anderson died in December 2013, and for over a decade, the family has been searching for answers and justice.
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First Responders Brought Alive Teen To Morgue After Found In Frozen River
A photographer discovered the University of Minnesota freshman’s hypothermic body beside the Mississippi River. It was late at night, and Jake ended up here after attending a party earlier that evening.
While walking outside in the cold, 15 degrees below zero, a photographer found his body near the Stone Arch Bridge. Once first responders arrived, they allegedly made a devastating error. According to the Star Tribute, a firefighter was the first person to check the boy’s pulse.
Although the paramedics had authority, the firefighter placed his fingers under the boy’s arm for a pulse. He then decided Answerson was “obviously dead.”
This is not something you’d typically say in this situation. “Obviously dead” means you’re sure of it, and it’s not like Jake’s body was disfigured in a way where being alive would be impossible. Later, authorities discovered that the teen was still alive, even at the morgue.
The firefighter likely couldn’t catch his pulse due to his heartbeat having slowed. Ever since this horrifying discovery, Jake’s parents, Bill and Kristi Anderson, have fought this case. They alleged that the first responders could’ve saved their boy if they had acted promptly, but they let their son die.
A Family’s Fight For Justice
Just one month ago, 12 years after the teen’s death, the Andersons were given $6.4 million in damages. This wasn’t against the fire responders. Instead, it was against Robert Hopper, their former attorney. The family hired Hopper to fight for their son in court.
“We were wronged by so many entities in this endeavor,” said the mother. Then Bill said they were “wronged by everybody.”
According to Hennepin County Judge Edward Wahl, if it weren’t for Hopper’s legal malpractice, the family “would have been successful in the underlying wrongful death action.”
This lawsuit was against several defendants. It included the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Fire Department and HCMC Ambulance Services.
Unfortunately, the Andersons never got a court date to fight for Jake. This was devastating, as no one at the scene tried to give any lifesaving measures to Jake. They made a quick “visual assessment” from 15 feet away and deemed him dead.
“He laid there in zero-degree weather for three hours,” said Bill. Kristi also mentioned that the first responders “didn’t even turn him over.” They allegedly “left him laying on the pile of rocks where they found him and didn’t even give him a fighting chance to survive.”
Everyone on the scene also failed to bring Jake to the hospital. They could’ve attempted to warm up his body to stave off his severe hypothermia. But none of this occurred. Later, an expert analysis revealed that Jake later died in the cold morgue.
How The Anderson’s Case Fell Apart
Knowing all the errors that first responders made, the Andersons thought they had the case in the bag. They hired Hopper, who was a respected attorney who had fought similar cases. For over a year, Hopper’s firm investigated the case. The Andersons learned that the statute of limitations had an expiry date of December 15, 2016.
Hopper then told the family they had a viable wrongful death claim on July 12, 2016. He also said he’d have a suit ready for them to file on September 1. Over and over again, the date was delayed. It took until seven days before the expiry date for Hopper to file the suit.
After two months of anxious waiting, the Andersons learned that nothing would come from their lawsuit. A paralegal from Hopper’s firm told them this and asked the parents if they’d managed “to be legally appointed as administrator, executor or trustee of Jake’s estate.” Not once did Hopper mention this important detail while filing the suit.
This missing filing ended any chances of the lawsuit coming to fruition. Even in March 2018, a judge dismissed the claims due to the expiry date having passed. Afterwards, the Andersons filed a legal malpractice lawsuit. This led Hopper to lose his law firm and his law license, and he didn’t challenge the ruling against him.