Woman Dies in Parking Lot After Dentist Pulls 16 Teeth

She was sick with several chronic conditions, but 46-year-old April Walters of Michigan had been cleared to have 18 teeth pulled last week. Now her family is looking for answers after she died in the parking lot of the dentist's office following the procedure. Walters suffered from sarcoidosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and she was on oxygen, but her doctor wanted many of her teeth pulled because of an infection, reports Fox 2 Detroit. Before her Friday procedure, Walters was reportedly anxious, having been turned away in the past over an elevated heart rate.

But this time, even after the dental assistant said she was waiting for Walters' heart rate of 130 beats per minute to slow down, the dentist said, "We're fine" and started the procedure, says Walters' daughter, Amber Waddell. But after pulling 16 of the 18 teeth, the dentist stopped and told Walters to get her heart checked. As Waddell and Walters' sister struggled to get her and the oxygen tank to the car, Walters said she couldn't breathe, and though staff came out with more oxygen, nobody performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, at which point it was too late. The family has passed its $2,000 GoFundMe goal to cover funeral costs. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway. (This 14-month-old recently died after going under anesthesia to have a cavity filled.)