Trial delayed for Detroit-area woman wrongfully declared dead
A Detroit-area family waiting years for justice will have to wait a little bit longer.
In August 2020, Erica Lattimore's daughter, Timesha Beauchamp, who has cerebral palsy, was struggling to breathe when her family called 911. An Oakland County lawsuit alleges that Southfield medical crews tried to revive the 20-year-old before calling a doctor, who declared Beauchamp dead without seeing her.
In September 2020, state authorities said a paramedic misled the doctor by phone about Beauchamp's condition and repeatedly failed to recognize that the young woman was alive.
"We knew from the very beginning, just as Erica knew what had happened, that they have made choices that they should not have made, that they made those choices by providing incorrect information," said attorney Steven Hurbis with Fieger Law.
Beauchamp's body was taken to a Detroit funeral home. Once there, she was found inside her body bag with her eyes open, gasping for air.
She was then rushed to a hospital and died two months later.
"I want them to know her name. I want her name to be put out there," said Lattimore. "It shouldn't have happened to her; it shouldn't happen to no child. No family should feel this kind of agonizing pain."
While Beauchamp's attorneys were prepared for a trial to start in mid-September, a last-minute delay pushed the trial out indefinitely.
"We've got five years of litigation. The whole five years, they have denied any responsibility; they did nothing wrong. On the eve of trial, they finally — I'm not going to say they admit responsibility — but they acknowledge that, 'Yeah, we messed up,'" said attorney Jennifer Damico with Fieger Law.
Lawyers for Beauchamp's family say they now have to wait for a decision from the court of appeals before the case can move forward.
In the meantime, Lattimore says she is speaking out now to get justice for her daughter.
"I just take one day at a time and pray that God just continue to give me the strength that I need to get through this, because I'm not giving up. I'm going to go do the long haul, however long it takes," said Lattimore.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Southfield Fire Department, which declined to comment on pending litigation.