Horrifying surveillance footage shows man CRAWLING out of a hospital after doctors dismissed him
Horrifying surveillance footage shows man in intense pain CRAWLING out of a hospital after doctors dismissed him as a faker – before he was diagnosed with the rare nerve disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- David Pontone, 45, went to a Toronto hospital complaining of bad leg pain
- After disclosing his bipolar disorder, Pontone was referred to a psychiatrist and quickly discharged after an MRI didn’t reveal a clear physical cause to his pain
- Days later, he went to another hospital, where he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an extremely rare and serious nerve disorder
- The nurse who was seen dealing with Pontone in the video was later fired
A shocking new video shows a man crawling out of a Canadian hospital after the staff dismissed his pleas for treatment for worsening leg pain.
David Pontone, 45, complained of terrible pain in his legs when he went to Humber River Hospital in Toronto in April 2018.
When he arrived, he told medical staff that he suffered from bipolar disorder, but that medication had helped him remain stable for around seven years.
Because of that disclosure, however, Pontone believes the staff didn’t take his concerns seriously, and had him meet with a psychiatrist before quickly getting discharged after an MRI didn’t reveal much.
In footage obtained by the CBC almost three years after the incident, Pontone can be seen in hospital surveillance footage in a red winter coat, jeans, and sandals hanging on to a rail near the entrance when he collapses to the ground.
A woman in black, identified by the CBC as a nurse, appears to nudge him in the foot before guiding Pontone outside as he’s crawling on the ground by his hands and knees.
She crouches down multiple times to talk to Pontone, but there’s no audio in the video.
Pontone said, ‘The nurse kept saying, ‘You’re a big boy! You’re strong! Come on, big boy, stand up!”
Pictured: Humber River Hospital in Toronto, Canada, where the incident took place
Some people in the footage pass by the two – one man even seems to try to intervene – but after hearing something from the nurse, continues on his way.
‘I’ve always been a gentleman, but I was angry. I felt totally helpless,’ Pontone said.
He alleges that it took 20 minutes to reach the exit of the hospital before a security guard helped him into a taxi.
He was still in pain, though, and days later he ended up at Toronto Western Hospital, where he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, where the body’s immune system attacks nerves.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Guillain-Barré Syndrome is very rare and can cause paralysis if it’s not treated quickly. It has a mortality rate of 4 to 7 percent.
After four months of rehabilitation, Pontone regained the ability to walk normally.
‘I was mistreated. Misjudged. It should never be repeated, with any person,’ Pontone said.
The family met with the hospital to discuss the incident and saw the video, but the hospital avoided handing over the footage for years due to privacy concerns.
Eventually, Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner ruled that once faces were blurred, the Pontone family could have the video.
They’re now looking to make sure nobody can go through the same ordeal they did.
‘I want the hospital to change the way they look at mental health,’ Pontone’s mother said to the CBC. ‘So that this doesn’t happen again.’
Meanwhile, the nurse who was seen guiding Pontone out of the hospital was fired, though it’s unclear if anyone else was disciplined for the incident.
