‘It hurts’ -- Detroit firefighter whose mom died at Sinai-Grace responds to lawsuit against hospital

DETROIT – A firefighter who lost his mother to COVID-19 at Sinai-Grace Hospital is weighing in on the lawsuit filed by four fired nurses.

ORIGINAL STORY: Lawsuit alleges patients died due to staffing issues at Sinai-Grace

Alfonzo May said hearing about the lawsuit was like reopening an old would. The lawsuit claims people died during the coronavirus outbreak because the hospital was too short-staffed.

“It hurts,” May said. “It hurts. It ripped that wound right off.”

Update June 12, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 59,621; Death toll now at 5,745

May was confident his 68-year-old mother Caroline Pollard would survive coronavirus when she was admitted to Sinai-Grace Hospital. She died April 8 and the Detroit Medical Center had to apologize for losing his mother’s body for six days.

RELATED: Detroit firefighter says it took days for hospital to find mother’s body after she died from COVID-19

The lawsuit, filed by four former nurses, said the hospital was so understaffed, patients were neglected and should have survived, but did not.

Anyone who believes they might have coronavirus should follow the CDC guidelines. Michigan.gov has a list of resources available to those concerned about COVID-19.

More information on coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• Detroit Health Department