Family Sues After Coronor Blocks Kidney Donation

An Indiana family is suing for $1 million in damages, claiming that a coroner needlessly prevented their nephew from receiving a kidney transplant from a cousin who died after being shot in the head.

The patient, Dean Martin, suffers from kidney failure, undergoes dialysis three times a week and has been on a waiting list for a transplant for five years.

Family members contend Martin could have received a transplant when his 23-year-old cousin was fatally shot in the head and chest on Christmas day in 2001.

The cousin, Eric Martin, was rushed to a hospital in Gary and kept alive on a ventilator. His parents gave permission the next day for his kidneys to be donated to their nephew after doctors determined they would be compatible.

The suit alleges that the coroner's office decided to oppose the removal of the kidneys because it would interfere with their autopsy and investigation into the shooting, and that Eric Martin was removed from life support so an autopsy could begin, rendering the kidneys useless for a transplant..

Other Sources: Indiana Media