Man Tries To Declare Himself "Not Dead"

**Willowdared** · 09-28-07, 03:47 PM

Declared dead, Moscow man fighting to regain his life

Annie Bishop / KXLY4 Reporter
Last updated: Thursday, September 27th, 2007 06:24:34 PM

MOSCOW -- Life for Jeremy Bass is great. He lives in Moscow, owns his own business, he even has a baby on the way. There’s just one problem: He was pronounced dead last month.

"My name’s Jeremy Lee Bass, I’m 25, current resident of Moscow," he said Thursday afternoon.

It all started when Jeremy got a call from the Latah County Sheriff’s Office.

"They went and said ‘We’re sorry to inform you about your son being in a horrific four-wheeler accident’ and I was like ‘I’m sorry I’ve not been’ and they go ‘Well are you Jeremy Bass?’ and I said ‘Yes’ and they said ‘Are you Jeremy Lee Bass?’ and I said ‘Yeah I am.’"

According to authorities, Jeremy Lee Bass apparently died at Gritman Medical Center. According to Jeremy Lee Bass, however, he’s still alive and well.

It turns out Jeremy Charles Bass, 26, died at Gritman Medical Center on August 18th. There was a mix-up at the hospital and Jeremy Lee Bass – who’s been a patient at the hospital before – had his medical records mixed up with Jeremy Charles Bass.

"What ended up happening was that the death process that happens when someone dies happened to me and not to him," Jeremy said. "So he was legally alive where I was legally dead."

After clearing things up with the Latah County Sheriff’s Office Jeremy didn’t think twice about it, at least until he received a letter from Gritman Medical Center which included a $5,000 bill for treatment Jeremy Charles Bass received before he died.

"I’m thinking I’m screwed," Jeremy Lee Bass said.

Vital statistics, the Social Security Administration, even his own grandparents thought Jeremy Lee Bass was dead, so now Bass is working the phones trying to bring himself back to life.

"I am overwhelmed," he said about everything he has to do to take his life back, adding that he’s hired an attorney to help him out.

So far all Gritman Medical Center has said is that it is reviewing its policies and procedures.

**conalabu** · 09-28-07, 03:57 PM

That boy has no idea how much he could have done with that.

**SaraJ** · 09-28-07, 04:18 PM

Ah, our modern society! If the computer says you're dead, then you're dead so you might as well just lie down and be dead!

**Jks9199** · 09-28-07, 05:05 PM

If he's dead... how can he pay the hospital bill?

Y'know... I do understand how things can happen, especially with folks of similar ages and names and records getting crossed. But they ought to be able to fix it pretty quick!