A Seattle couple is suing Salem Hospital in Oregon over what they describe as a deeply distressing experience following the unexpected death of their 9-month-old son, Michael Yeremeyev, during a family trip. According to a $10 million lawsuit reviewed by The Independent, hospital staff allegedly told the couple to transport their son’s body back to Seattle in their own car, either secured in a baby seat or laid flat in the back, because using a local funeral home would be too costly. The couple, Aleksander and Nataliya Yeremeyev, expressed concerns about their son’s body becoming stiff during the four-hour drive and requested an extra blanket to cover him, the lawsuit states. Michael was born with Down syndrome and had other significant health conditions that required him to spend the first six months of his life in the hospital. The Yeremeyevs took him on his first family outing in September 2024 to a Christian retreat in Salem. On September 22, 2024, at around 12:05 a.m., Michael’s breathing became shallow and rapid, prompting his father to take him to the emergency department at Salem Hospital. His mother joined them shortly after. Despite lifesaving efforts by medical staff, Michael died at 2:44 a.m. that same night, according to the complaint. Hospital workers reportedly told the couple not to approach their son’s body until the medical examiner could arrive, but after a long delay, they were informed that no examiner would be coming. The couple repeatedly asked the hospital how to transport their son’s body back to Seattle and specifically requested that a local funeral home handle the process with dignity. However, hospital staff allegedly told them it would be too expensive to use a funeral home and instead instructed them to take the body home in their car. The couple initially dismissed the idea of using a car seat but followed the hospital’s advice to lay Michael’s body flat in the back. Aleksander, the father, drove with the body, while Nataliya and their other children followed in a separate vehicle. The couple had only a handwritten note from Michael’s doctor, written on a prescription pad, to prove the child had died at the hospital. During the drive, Aleksander was reportedly afraid of being pulled over or involved in an accident, fearing the need to explain the situation to authorities. Upon arriving in Seattle, they arranged for a local funeral home to take over, but the body had already started to decay, leaking fluids onto the car seats, which Aleksander later had to clean. The couple’s attorney, Anna Brunkenhoefer, described the situation as “shocking” and criticized the hospital for failing to provide the care and respect the family had come to expect. The lawsuit names Salem Hospital and one of its emergency room doctors as defendants, seeking $10 million in noneconomic damages for the couple’s “extreme emotional distress and psychological injuries.” Salem Health has not commented on the pending litigation. The case was first reported by Portland, Oregon’s NBC affiliate, KGW News. Michael was born on January 10, 2024, and the lawsuit was filed on September 18 in Multnomah County, Oregon Circuit Court.