Shocking Video On CBS13.com
Nov 3, 2009 5:44 pm US/Pacific
Murdered Student's Parents Receive $29,000 Bill
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (CBS13) ―
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Scott Hawkins was killed on Oct. 21, 2009, inside a Sacramento State Dorm Room. (File Photo)
CBS
The parents of the Sacramento State student who was murdered in his apartment received a $29,000 hospital bill and a letter telling the victim to seek health care elsewhere.
A generic form letter, addressed to Scott Hawkins but with a salutation of "Dear patient," arrived at the Hawkins' family home in Santa Clara the day after he was killed. The letter referred to Hawkins as an indigent patient and advised him to seek more treatment through county health services.
The letter came as a cold reminder to Scott's family, who said the 23-year-old student had health insurance and wasn't an indigent patient. In an interview with CBS13, Scott's parents had difficulty verbalizing the pain the letter has caused.
"It was just awful," Elizabeth Hawkins said. "I don't think there's any civilized country, anywhere in the world that would allow the parents of a murdered boy to receive a bill like this and a letter caused."
Included with the letter: a $29,000 bill that detailed the level of care their son had received. Scott's parents were told he died in his dorm room, and were stunned to learn he was given level 5 trauma care at UC Davis, including CPR and intubation.
"We didn't realize that there may have been signs of life," Elizabeth said. She had to call UC Davis officials to correct the mistake, a draining task after her loss.
"When you have barely enough energy to finish your sentences, having to sit down and deal with something like this out of the blue is extremely difficult," she said.
The Hawkinses were quick to express how grateful they are to the medical professionals who tried to save Scott, but they just want to be the last family to be treated by such a respected institution in such a generic way.
Sacramento State had Scott's medical information, and school officials confirmed that privacy laws allow them to release health insurance information in emergencies.
CBS13 asked if the universtiy did indeed release the information, but officials refused to comment, citing privacy laws.
UC Davis Medical Center issued a statement regarding the letter, saying, "Our hearts go out to the Hawkins family for the terrible grief and pain they are experiencing. We deeply regret that a clerical error caused them to receive a letter that brought even more distress."
"We have reviewed our system and strengthened our internal processes, which will prevent letters like these from going out improperly in the future," the statement said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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