Community Corner
Radio Pranksters Hoax Goes Terribly Wrong
A London nurse who was treating the Duchess Kate Middleton, reportedly committed suicide Friday after learning a caller wasn't really Queen Elizabeth. A local hospital comments.
The two Australian radio hosts who prank called the hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated have been pulled off the air "until further notice" after the hoaxed nurse was found dead today, reports Yahoo.
The Tuesday morning prank call came from Australian DJ's Mel Greig and Michael Christian. They impersonated the royals, complete with exaggerated accents. They even enlisted two co-workers to bark like the queen's pet corgis, reports "ABC's Good Morning America."
Information about the duchess' condition was released by a nurse to Greig and Christian when they pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles looking to speak to Middleton, who was being treated at the hospital for acute nausea related to her pregnancy, the report says.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
When the royal impersonators called the hospital, they were put through to a second nurse who told the royal impersonators that Kate was "quite stable" and hadn't "had any retching," the report says.
On Friday, police were called to an address near the hospital at about 9:35 a.m. in Great Britain to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard, says ABC's Good Morning America.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The woman, who reportedly committed suicide according to GMA, Jacintha Saldanha, was pronounced dead at the scene. "Inquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident. Next of kin have been informed," the statement said.
Locally, Mission Hospital takes all incoming calls very seriously and screens them thoroughly, according to a spokeswoman.
"Regarding this topic, I can tell you that Mission Hospital is highly sensitive to the confidentiality of our patients, and protecting our patients’ privacy is one of our highest priorities," said Tamara Sharp, director of communications.
"To further ensure the continued confidentiality of the patients who trust us with their protected health information, as a matter of practice, we do not discuss the specifics of our security and privacy operations."
You can read more of the Good Morning America story here on Yahoo.
