Pat Speedy, a 73-year-old hospice patient, died on August 9 after suffering a fatal colonic bowel perforation when she was wheeled across a bumpy parking lot on a hospital bed during an emergency evacuation from the Old Trails wildfire in Spokane, Washington.
Her daughter, Kimberly, told The Spokane Spokesman-Review that she believes the uneven ground during the evacuation caused her mother's fatal injury. Speedy had been receiving care at Spokane Health and Rehabilitation when the facility began evacuating residents in early August as the wildfire advanced.
Speedy, who was bedbound following a stroke that left her partially paralyzed, was among the last residents to be evacuated from the hospice unit. More than 100 residents and caretakers were forced to wait outside for help for an hour while thick wildfire smoke swirled around them and dark skies filled with falling ash.
Kimberly described the harrowing scene when she arrived at the facility to check on her mother. "Ash was just coming down. The sky was dark," Kimberly said. "Imagine being not in control of your body and having to watch everything around you burn."
A photograph taken during the evacuation showed Speedy lying on her trolley bed while waiting to be rescued. Kimberly recalled that despite partial paralysis from her stroke, her mother remained a cheerful and stoic woman who was "actively engaged in life" and continued to enjoy her daily routine.
Evacuation and Hospital Diagnosis
Following the evacuation from the hospice center, an ambulance transported Speedy to a temporary shelter established at Shadle Park High School. She was later transferred to Holy Family Hospital, a major medical facility in northern Spokane, where an X-ray revealed that she had suffered a ruptured bowel.
Kimberly said her mother immediately knew something was severely wrong after the rough transfer across the parking lot. "She could tell immediately. She said: 'Something’s really wrong,'" Kimberly recalled.
Speedy remained in severe pain for days following the injury. For three days, she lay in agony without relief, and by the fourth day, the elderly woman was slipping in and out of consciousness as her condition worsened.
Speedy was eventually moved to an assisted-care facility, where she died on August 9 with her daughter by her bedside. "The last thing she said was: 'It’s okay, honey, I don’t need any jellybeans,'" Kimberly said, noting that the lighthearted remark was typical of her mother's personality. "She just had a great infectious personality, a great sense of humor."
Pre-Existing Condition and Personal Life
Prior to the evacuation, Speedy had been diagnosed with Ogilvie syndrome, a medical condition characterized by non-mechanical obstruction where the colon becomes paralyzed and fails to move waste, causing the large intestine to expand. She had entered hospice care two months after the diagnosis, but her daughter emphasized that she was not living in pain prior to the evacuation and was able to eat regularly.
Kimberly shared that her mother was originally from California and retained a strong connection to her home state throughout her life. "She’s from California, so very much a Cali girl; she loves the beach and the sun and palm trees," Kimberly said. She added that her mother maintained a vibrant social life, frequently spoke with fellow residents in her unit, and was a passionate fan of Gonzaga University basketball, the prominent college sports program located in Spokane.
Calls for Arson Charges and Fire Impact
Kimberly is now calling for criminal accountability against Aaron Farinacci, the suspected arsonist believed to have started the Old Trails Fire. She stated that her mother would still be alive had she not been forced to evacuate the hospice facility under such severe conditions. "I want him held accountable. This guy killed my mom," Kimberly told The Spokane Spokesman-Review.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Kimberly reiterated her demand for legal action against the suspect. "Like the rest of Spokane, I am looking for justice for all the damage that was done, including the death of my mother," she said.
Farinacci has not been charged with Speedy's death, which marks the only fatality associated with the Old Trails Fire. However, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels indicated that investigators have not ruled out additional charges, stating there is "potential" that the suspected arsonist could face charges related to the death.
Court records show that Farinacci previously pled guilty to manslaughter in 2012 following a 2010 altercation in which he killed his father. He had initially been charged with first-degree murder in that case. Neither Farinacci's defense attorney, Colin Charbonneau, nor Kimberly immediately responded to requests for comment from the Daily Mail.
The Old Trails Fire caused widespread devastation across the Spokane region, destroying more than 700 structures and forcing approximately 65,000 residents to evacuate their homes. For Kimberly, the tragic loss of her mother during the disaster remains difficult to comprehend. "The way she went, that’s hard to wrap my heart around," Kimberly said. "I wanted more for her. Better for her."
