The mom of an East Valley, Arizona teen says she's looking into legal options after her son was disconnected from life support.
Eighteen-year-old Alec Sutton was taken to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa last Wednesday after suffering head trauma in a car wreck.
Friends and family say they were praying for a miracle and trying to get a second opinion, but the Banner doctors refused their pleas for more time. Alec was removed from life support Tuesday.
"If his parents wanted to give him the chance, no one can tell them what they can and can not do with their son," said Jordan Walker, a friend of Alec's.
Alec did not have a medical power of attorney or a living will. Attorney Bob Sewell told Phoenix-based KNXV, in the absence of those documents, a parent or relative would not have an absolute legal right to make the call on life support.
Sewell added hospitals or relatives can sometimes go to probate court, then a judge decides who gets the authority to make the medical decisions. Sutton's mom says the court was not involved in her son's case.
A Banner spokesman said the hospital could not comment about Alec's medical care due to privacy laws. The spokesman also said the end of life is a difficult time, and the hospital provides grief counseling and support to friends and relatives.
Alec's mom has established a GoFundMe account.
