A family in Arizona is grappling with unimaginable grief and demanding accountability after their 27-year-old son, Kaelen Lachica, died following a deeply disturbing hospital discharge. The Lachicas allege that Abrazo Health Arrowhead effectively abandoned Kaelen, leaving him vulnerable and ultimately contributing to his tragic death on a scorching summer day.
Kaelen had battled anorexia for nearly a decade, but his condition had been improving in the year leading up to his hospitalization in August 2025. He was initially admitted to one facility before being transferred to Abrazo Health Arrowhead after experiencing a possible stroke and subsequent weight loss.
According to the wrongful death lawsuit, Kaelen’s health rapidly deteriorated in the days before his discharge, leaving him delusional and unable to move independently. Despite his fragile state, hospital staff discharged him after an incident where he struck a nurse and requested to leave against medical advice.
Instead of ensuring his safe return home, the hospital allegedly placed Kaelen in a wheelchair, paid for an Uber, and directed the driver to drop him off at a local homeless shelter in downtown Phoenix. Crucially, his address was readily available in his medical records, yet no attempt was made to ensure he could find his way.
The family’s attorney described the act as a blatant eviction, stating the hospital simply wanted to rid themselves of a patient they no longer wished to treat. Kaelen, disoriented and unable to recall his address, was left to fend for himself in the brutal August heat.
A police officer discovered Kaelen collapsed on a sidewalk, temperatures soaring into triple digits. The officer immediately began administering CPR, but the damage was already done. The circumstances surrounding his discharge paint a harrowing picture of neglect and disregard for human life.
Seth Lachica, Kaelen’s father, received a call from the hospital in the early morning hours informing him of his son’s discharge. He frantically searched the area and arrived to find emergency responders desperately trying to revive Kaelen. His anguished words to the officers on the scene revealed his fury and disbelief: “They ‘Ubered’ him here this morning and just f------ dropped him off to die.”
Kaelen was rushed to another hospital, but it was too late. He succumbed to his condition, leaving his family devastated and seeking justice. The lawsuit asserts that Abrazo staff demonstrated a conscious disregard for Kaelen’s wellbeing, directly causing his death.
The family’s legal team argues that the hospital’s actions went far beyond negligence or medical malpractice. They compare the situation to a bar bouncer abandoning an incapacitated patron in the sweltering heat, a scenario unthinkable and yet, tragically, the reality Kaelen faced.
The hospital has declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, leaving the Lachica family to mourn their son and fight for answers in the face of unimaginable loss. Their story serves as a chilling reminder of the vulnerability of patients and the critical importance of compassionate, responsible care.
