An Indiana hospital has launched an investigation into a video that went viral on social media after a woman said she was sent home while in active labor, and delivered her baby on the side of the road minutes later.
Mercedes Wells wrote on social media that she went to Franciscan Hospital in Crown Point, Indiana, just after midnight Sunday believing she was in labor. She wrote in a Facebook post that she was sent home hours later after nurses told her she was not progressing and told to return if labor persists.
Videos posted to Leon Wells’ social media accounts documenting what his wife said happened later went viral. Leon Wells said on social media his wife delivered their newborn child in his truck shortly after. He shared videos on social media of his wife holding the infant in his car.
Leon Wells described the experience to NBC Chicago Monday morning and said the baby is doing well.
In a statement, Franciscan Health said “the health and safety of our patients is always our top priority.”
“We have launched an internal investigation into the alleged incident,” the statement read. “Due to patient privacy laws and our own policies pertaining to internal investigations, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
No further details on the hospital’s decision were given and NBC Chicago has not been able to verify why Wells was discharged or how much time lapsed between her discharge and the baby’s birth.
NBC Chicago has been in contact with the Wells family and they said they are prepared to speak more on their situation in the coming days. Their attorney did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s requests for comment.
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