Dee Miller: Friend succumbed in truck, remained in parking lot all day
On July 7, my friend Debbie Paul died in her truck in the parking lot of the medical clinic on Paradise Road. Her appointment was over around 10 a.m., but her body sat in her truck, head rolled back, eyes staring upward one foot still on the ground, her driver’s door opened, until her husband found her around 4 p.m.! Maybe no one could’ve saved her, though she’d seen her doctor just minutes before. She was parked in the front, middle aisle of the clinic where many people, including the security guard must’ve passed by her throughout the day. When he ran in to alert the staff inside the clinic he was told to call 9-1-1!
Married over 30 years, her husband is devastated. He’s having a hard time understanding why no one noticed her before he found her. Losing a loved can be traumatic enough and the journey to emotional recovery lies ahead for those left behind. No one is blaming anyone for Debbie’s passing, but we feel the personnel at the clinic owe the Paul family an apology for overlooking Debbie all day. RIP Debbie!
Dee Miller, Modesto
This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Dee Miller: Friend succumbed in truck, remained in parking lot all day."