Arizona family sues Abrazo Health Arrowhead hospital following their son’s death

Family Calls for Accountability After Son’s Tragic Hospital Discharge

An Arizona family is seeking answers following the death of their 27-year-old son, who was discharged from a hospital and found hours later on a sidewalk in the scorching heat. This incident is at the center of a wrongful death lawsuit against Abrazo Health Arrowhead.

Kaelen Lachka’s parents, Seth and Gail, allege that hospital staff put him in an Uber and dropped him off outside a homeless shelter despite his deteriorating condition. “What they did was abandonment. They completely killed my son,” Seth Lachka expressed.

Kaelen had battled anorexia for nearly a decade, but his health had improved prior to his hospitalization in August 2025, according to his father. He was transferred to Abrazo Health Arrowhead after experiencing symptoms that suggested a possible stroke and significant weight loss.

Prior to his discharge, Kaelen’s health took a severe downturn; he became “delusional” and “immobile.” On August 13, 2025, he reportedly exhibited aggressive behavior and requested to leave the hospital “against medical advice,” as stated by the family’s attorney, Richard Lyons.

According to the complaint, Kaelen was placed in a wheelchair, taken in an Uber paid for by the hospital, and transported to a homeless shelter, even though he could not recall his address.

The family’s legal filing points out that his permanent address was noted in his medical records and accessible to hospital staff before he was discharged. “They literally put him in a wheelchair and pushed him outside. This wasn’t a medical discharge; they just wanted him gone,” Lyons admitted.

Kaelen was later found lying on the sidewalk by a police officer, amid sweltering temperatures. “How can you take a seriously ill individual and leave them on the sidewalk in mid-August?” Lyons questioned. “Regardless of his medical decision-making capacity, people are dying from the heat all the time.”

Early that morning, Seth Lachka received a call about his son’s discharge. After looking for Kaelen, he came upon paramedics performing CPR on him in the street. “I told them not to release him. They brought him here just to die,” he recounted to responding officers.

Kaelen was taken to another hospital, where he ultimately succumbed. The lawsuit alleges that Abrazo staff willfully ignored Kaelen’s health and safety.

“In mid-August, no one would expect a bouncer to eject a helpless patron onto a hot sidewalk, let alone a healthcare worker,” the suit claims. “Yet that’s precisely what happened to Kaelen. Their actions exceeded negligence or malpractice; they directly led to his death.”