Woman who went missing after jumping out of medical transport van reunited with her family
By Andrew Ramos
Click here for updates on this story
CHICAGO (WBBM) — A mother who went missing for days after she jumped out of medical transportation vehicle has been reunited with her family.
Terri Hall, 54, went missing on Thursday in Chicago, while on the way from a south suburban hospital to a mental health facility on the West Side.
She was reunited with her family on Wednesday, and was said to be in good condition.
Hall, who has schizophrenia, was being transported from UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey to MADO Healthcare Douglass Park on the West Side of Chicago.
Hall’s family said Ingalls used hospital transport company MedEx to take her to MADO, but after the service picked her up around noon on Thursday, she jumped out of the moving vehicle near Van Buren and Paulina in Chicago.
What was even more shocking, the family did not learn about the incident until four days later, when MADO told the family they had no record of her arrival.
MedEx said in a statement, while they provide various levels of transportation, in Hall’s case it was not classified as an “ambulance transport,” and was only “a service car level of transportation,” which is equivalent to ordering an Uber or taxi.
“Our driver asked her multiple times to please not leave the vehicle, but she ignored his pleadings and ultimately left the vehicle and the area. Because this was not an ambulance transport, we could not force her to remain in the vehicle,” MedEx said.
The family blamed Ingalls Hospital, calling it a communication failure.
On Wednesday, Hall’s daughter, Kenya Carr, received a call from a stranger telling her that she knew where her mother was, after she learned about the story on CBS News Chicago.
Hall ended up at University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park, where she was trying to apply for a job Thursday morning.
Carr immediately drove to the hospital, where her mother seemed disoriented.
Hall was admitted to the hospital, and explained that she spent the last few days riding CTA buses and finding shelter at train stations.
She was reunited with her family at the hospital. Carr said her mother is in good condition and in very good spirits, surrounded by family who have not left her side all day.
Two women who work at University of Chicago Medical Center had recognized Hall after seeing the CBS News Chicago report on her disappearance, and coming across missing person flyers. They called the number on those flyers to reach Carr.
While Hall’s family said they’re very grateful for the outpouring of support they have received, they’re still demanding answers on how it all happened.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
