Employees of a Stuart hospital are being investigated for photos taken of a patient being treated for a shark bite who later died.
In a statement released Friday, officials said Martin Memorial Health Systems has launched an internal investigation regarding photos taken while Stephen Schafer was being treated in the emergency center on Feb. 3. The Stuart man, 38, had been kite surfing about a quarter-mile offshore when he was encircled and attacked by sharks and suffered "multiple" bite wounds.
A lifeguard saw Schafer in distress and brought him to shore on a paddle board, but Schafer died in hospital.
Martin Memorial spokesman Miguel Coty said "it appears photographs were taken of the patient's injuries." The investigation will focus on whether employees e-mailed those photos to other people.
The investigation was launched immediately after the hospital learned that employees may have violated patient privacy laws.
Coty said Schafer's family was notified of the investigation.
