ATLANTA — A shocking incident unfolded at the Hanger Clinic in Buckhead when Ankita Mackin, a patient with multiple sclerosis, was inadvertently locked inside the facility after hours.
Mackin arrived for an appointment at 2 p.m. to be fitted for braces aimed at improving her mobility.
She anticipated assistance from the clinic staff to arrange her transportation home after her appointment.
However, as the clock approached 4 p.m., Mackin realized that not only was she still inside, but the clinic appeared to be closing down around her.
Despite her phone being dead, Mackin felt reassured that the staff would eventually check in on her and call for her ride.
“I can’t believe these people left me in this building like this,” she expressed, highlighting her shock at the situation.
Mackin’s daughter, Aquadia Yahkia, noted that her mother usually does not carry a phone charger but had the foresight to bring one on this occasion.
As she waited on an exam table, Mackin saw the clinic’s staff pass her room multiple times.
“The door is open the whole time, and I’m waiting, waiting, waiting,” she recalled, explaining how she had even fallen asleep at one point while waiting for assistance.
“I done fell asleep woke up, I’m like hmmm… it’s almost four o’ clock,” she said, realizing that time was running out.
When the clinic fell silent, Mackin started calling for help.
Desperately, she called out, “hello, hello, nurse, doctor, is anyone in there?”
The unsettling realization that she might be locked inside began to seep in.
“Oh my God, I know. Lord knows I hope they didn’t lock me in this building,” Mackin recalled thinking.
Panic surged when she understood this was indeed what had happened.
“I was like, ‘Oh Lord! What am I going to do? My phone is dead, I’m sitting up on this high table, chair,’” she stated, expressing her helplessness in that moment.
With no option left, Mackin made the difficult decision to roll off the exam table.
She recounted the painful fall, noting, “I hit the floor, hit my head, hurt my back.”
In significant discomfort, Mackin crawled across the floor to find a wall outlet where she could charge her phone.
Despite dialing 911 several times, initial attempts to reach emergency services went unanswered.
In a stroke of luck, Mackin was able to use FaceTime to connect with her daughters and explain what had transpired.
Her daughter quickly arrived at the clinic, prompting a response from Atlanta Police, Atlanta Fire, and Grady EMS.
Upon arrival, emergency responders were appalled at the situation Mackin had endured.
“They were shocked, they were like, ‘Oh my God, I’m sorry this happened to you,’” Mackin reported, recalling how the firefighters forced entry into the closed facility.
Mackin’s daughter expressed disbelief at how her mother could be left unattended.
“Like who locks up the building, no one walks around to check each room?” Yahkia questioned.
The experience was not only traumatic for Mackin but also humiliating.
She spent several hours without food or water and was unable to access the restroom facilities.
Now, Mackin’s family is demanding accountability from Hanger Clinic about how such an oversight could occur.
After her ordeal, Mackin was taken to Grady Hospital for evaluation and was discharged the following day.
In response to the incident, the external communications manager for the clinic stated, “Local emergency services personnel responded to our clinic yesterday, but given HIPAA privacy laws, I cannot provide any additional information.”
image source from：11alive
