A wheelchair-bound woman battling multiple sclerosis says she was stuck on top of an exam table for hours after staff at an Atlanta medical clinic forgot about her and went home for the day, according to a report.
Ankita Mackin, who has used a wheelchair the past four years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, said she had to roll off an exam table at Hanger Clinic in Buckhead, just outside of Atlanta, and crawl to get help on Thursday.
Mackin says she was dropped off for her 2 p.m. appointment to get her feet fitted for braces and thought that after it concluded, the staff were calling her transportation service to come get her.
“I’m thinking that, 'OK, well they know I’m finished so they’re going to call transportation to come back and get me,'” Mackin told 9 News.
Not only did no one come for her, but Mackin says the door to her exam room was wide open, allowing her to watch staff walk by and ignore her.
“The door is open the whole time,” she said. “So, I’m waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, I done fell asleep, woke up, I’m like hmm…it’s almost four o’clock.”
Hanger Clinic closes at 4 p.m., but by the time Mackin realized the medical center was closing for the day, it was too late to get help.
“So I’m like, ‘hello, hello, nurse, doctor, is anyone in there? '” Mackin said. “I was like, 'Oh my God, I know. Lord knows I hope they didn’t lock me in this building.”
The panic soon set in for Mackin, who was still stuck high up with a dead phone.
“I just rolled on off, hit the floor, hit my head, hurt my back,” Mackin said, adding that the maneuver left her legs in immense pain.
Mackin said she then crawled across the floor to a wall outlet, where she plugged in her phone. She said she called 911 several times, but couldn’t get through to an operator right away, so she FaceTimed her daughters to explain what happened.
Mackin’s daughter, Atlanta Police, Atlanta Fire and Grady EMS arrived on the scene soon after.
“They were shocked, they were like, "Oh my God, I’m sorry this happened to you,” Mackin said of the firefighters who forced their way into the building.
Her daughter, Yahkia, said she was surprised that staff would leave for the day without checking each room.
“Why you guys, just left her in the room unattended? She’s disabled... like who locks up the building, no one walks around to check each room,” she said.
The incident left Mackin traumatized and embarrassed, as she said she had no food, water or way to get to the bathroom for several hours.
Mackin’s family is now demanding answers from Hanger Clinic. In a statement to The Independent , a spokesperson for the facility said: “Local emergency services personnel responded to our clinic on August 21st, but given HIPAA privacy laws, I cannot provide any additional information.”
Mackin was taken to Grady Hospital, where she was checked out and released on Friday.
