Taylor’s Story – WordPress

Her Life. Her Loss. Her Legacy.

Taylor Nicole Jenkins

December 31, 1997 – March 22, 2023

My Entire World

My entire world in a single photo. I have been the sole parent of my daughters most of their lives. These girls have been my reason for living, for breathing, and for everything I have done since they took their first breaths. We had so much to look forward to until Taylor took her last breath in a Florida hospital following confirmed fatal reckless medical negligence and neglect.

Taylor's Life and Dreams

Taylor was born and raised in Northeast Florida. She graduated from Fleming Island High School in 2016 with an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma from the University of Cambridge in England. She was Principal’s Scholar, Florida Medallion Scholar, and earned the University of South Florida (USF) Scholar’s Scholarship.

Taylor graduated from USF at the age of 20 with honors and a degree in Finance. She earned a scholarship to pay for 50% of her MBA; however, she decided to place her studies on hold, become a flight attendant, and travel the world while she was young.

A little more than a year before her life was senselessly stolen, Taylor transferred to Southwest Airlines, where she met the love of her life, Brett, a pilot. They were planning to get engaged and build an entire life together—a future that will now never come to pass.

The Questions That Blocked Justice

When I reached out for help during the darkest time of my life—desperate to ensure this would never happen to another family—countless law firms asked me the exact same three questions:

How old was Taylor?

She recently turned 25.

Was Taylor married?

No, she was not married.

Did Taylor have children?

No.

Because Taylor met every condition of this devastating formula, I was informed that under Florida’s “Free Kill” law, her life is valued differently. Non-economic damages are capped at $0 for victims of fatal medical negligence who are 25 or older, unmarried, and without minor children. As a result, I am strategically blocked from seeking accountability because the law effectively makes it financially impossible to pursue even the economic damages (such as funeral and autopsy expenses) that the law claims are allowed.

The "Free Kill" Formula

Under Florida Statute § 768.21(8), commonly known as the “Free Kill” law, if a victim of medical malpractice is 25 or older, unmarried, and has no minor children, the law completely bars their surviving parents or adult children from recovering non-economic damages.

By capping non-economic damages at $0, the law creates a devastating Catch-22. It makes it financially impossible to seek justice or even pursue the basic economic damages the law technically states are allowed. Because medical malpractice litigation requires tens of thousands of dollars in upfront expert costs, a $0 non-economic threshold ensures no law firm can afford to take the case. The true purpose of these damage caps is to strategically block justice for deceased victims by making accountability a financial impossibility, leaving hospitals and negligent providers with zero legal or financial consequences.

When negligent actors face no financial consequences, the bill does not disappear—it is shifted directly to the public. Because families are blocked from securing a court judgment, wrongdoers and their insurers are never forced to reimburse health insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid for the expenses caused by their negligence. Instead, private health insurers, government programs, and everyday taxpayers are left to absorb the staggering financial aftermath of medical harm. This loophole doesn’t just block justice; it artificially inflates premiums and forces the American public to subsidize corporate negligence.

What Happened to Taylor — and Why the Public Should Be Alarmed

Because Florida’s “Free Kill” law blocks me from seeking justice and accountability through the courts, I paid out of pocket for an independent medical record review as part of Florida’s required pre-suit investigation process. This resulted in a sworn affidavit from a highly credentialed physician concluding that Taylor’s death was caused by reckless medical negligence and neglect.

The records paint a clear picture of what happened on the day Taylor was rushed by ambulance to the nearest emergency room after being rear-ended while stopped at a red light. She was diagnosed with subdural hematomas and a midline shift, a life-threatening brain injury that requires immediate surgery, but the initial head CT scan was limited by excessive motion and streak artifact, making the scan unreliable. Despite these clear limitations, no further imaging was conducted to ensure a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Despite misdiagnosing Taylor with a life-threatening brain injury based on that flawed scan, the on-call neurosurgeon did not timely evaluate her in person.

Under Florida Department of Health guidelines for a Level II Trauma Center, the on-call neurosurgeon was required to perform an in-person critical care evaluation within 30 minutes of notification. He did not arrive for nearly 7 hours.

While the hospital focused exclusively on a brain injury that a follow-up CT scan and private autopsy later proved did not exist, Taylor was actively bleeding internally. Warning signs of internal bleeding were documented and reported, but they were not investigated or acted on, and additional imaging was delayed for approximately eight hours.

When imaging finally confirmed blood filling Taylor’s abdominal cavity, the fellow overseeing her care waited approximately seven more hours before rushing her to emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. During that delay, a mass blood transfusion protocol was ordered and administered in a predominantly red blood cell pattern instead of a balanced 1:1:1 ratio of red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, worsening her condition.

Although Taylor was explicitly identified as a bleeding risk and active warning signs of internal bleeding were documented, additional testing was delayed for eight hours. Even after imaging finally confirmed that blood was filling her abdominal cavity, another seven hours passed before emergency surgery was performed.

Taylor also had an improperly placed central line. The radiologist recommended that it be repositioned, but it was never moved. By the time Taylor was finally taken to surgery, the damage was catastrophic. After surgery, her chart stated that she had no signs of brain stem function.

By the time Taylor was finally taken to surgery, the damage was catastrophic. After surgery, her chart stated that she had no signs of brain stem function.

The medical examiner initially listed the misdiagnosed brain injury as Taylor’s cause of death based on information obtained from the hospital. After reviewing the private autopsy and consulting with the pathologist, the medical examiner amended Taylor’s death certificate, removed the non-existent brain injury, and documented a torn pelvic artery as her cause of death.

Since I am strategically blocked from seeking justice to hold the wrongdoers accountable and hear them answer for their actions, I filed complaints with the Florida Department of Health, Florida’s medical licensing board. Despite the independent review, the letter of merit, the changed cause of death, the delayed response to internal bleeding, the delayed surgery, the transfusion concerns, the central line issue, and the delayed neurosurgical evaluation, the Department closed my complaints and stated it found no probable cause that medical malpractice occurred.

My family is not the only one. The Florida Department of Health also recently closed complaints filed by the family of another Florida “Free Kill” victim whose father and grandfather’s cause of death was ruled homicide. Approximately 97% of complaints filed with the Florida Department of Health Division of Medical Quality Assurance are closed without formal public discipline, according to analysis of the 2024-2025 MQA Annual Report.

This is why licensing boards are not a substitute for access to the courts. When the courts are blocked and licensing complaints are closed, families are left without answers, without accountability, and without any meaningful path to justice.

The public suffers as well. Without court proceedings, sworn testimony, discovery, and public records, patients have no reliable way to know a physician’s true record, identify patterns of negligence, or conduct meaningful due diligence before making healthcare decisions for themselves and their loved ones. When critical information is kept out of the public record, patients are denied the information necessary to make fully informed choices about their care.

The Truth Revealed

The medical examiner initially listed the misdiagnosed brain injury as Taylor’s cause of death based entirely on information provided by the hospital. However, after reviewing the full medical record, the private autopsy report and consulting with the pathologist, the medical examiner determined that the diagnosed brain injury never existed. He officially amended Taylor’s death certificate, removed the non-existent brain injury, and documented a torn pelvic artery as her true cause of death.

The Institutional Shield

Since I am strategically blocked from seeking justice through the courts to hold the wrongdoers accountable and hear them answer for their actions, I filed formal complaints with the Florida Department of Health’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance, Florida’s medical licensing board.

Despite the independent medical record review, the sworn letter of merit, the amended cause of death, the delayed response to internal bleeding, the delayed surgery, the transfusion errors, the central line issue, and the delayed neurosurgical evaluation, the Department closed my complaints. They stated they found “no probable cause” that medical malpractice occurred.

My family is not the only one. The Florida Department of Health’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance also closed the complaint filed by the family of another Florida “Free Kill” victim whose father and grandfather’s cause of death was ruled a homicide, also stating they found “no probable cause” that medical malpractice occurred. This is a systemic crisis: approximately 97% of complaints filed with the Florida Department of Health’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance are closed without formal public discipline, according to an analysis of the 2024-2025 Medical Quality Assurance Annual Report.

This is why licensing boards are not a substitute for access to the courts. Regulatory oversight and the civil justice system serve entirely different but complementary functions, and one can never replace the other—both systems are absolutely necessary. Even if the Florida Department of Health MQA were a flawlessly reliable form of licensing accountability, administrative boards do not possess the legal authority to produce a court judgment. They cannot force wrongdoers and their insurers to pay for the financial devastation they cause. As a result, even under a perfect regulatory system, the staggering costs of medical negligence would continue to be shifted entirely onto the public.

This is why it is critical that our fundamental constitutional rights to equal protection under the law, due process, and access to the courts are not intentionally blocked. By weaponizing $0 non-economic damage caps, the state makes the pursuit of justice a financial impossibility. When the civil justice system is starved out, the public is left to pay the price for corporate immunity.

A Florida Free Kill

The hospital and physicians faced zero accountability under Florida’s “Free Kill” law. The hospital and providers profited, while their insurer successfully dodged a claim—shifting the financial costs of their fatal medical negligence entirely away from the wrongdoers and onto the public. Those responsible moved on with their lives. Our family is left living with the consequences forever.

Taylor was tragically stolen from our family’s future. She was not there to watch her younger sister, Madison, graduate from their alma mater, the University of South Florida, and she will be missing from every holiday, special occasion, and milestone yet to come.

Why This Movement Exists

That is why I founded the Healthcare Accountability Initiative (HAI)—a national movement dedicated to exposing Florida’s “Free Kill” law, restrictive damage caps, restoring safety and accountability in healthcare, supporting affected families, and fighting for equal justice for all victims of medical negligence.

No family should face what my family has faced. No life should be valued differently under the law. No negligent provider should walk away without accountability simply because the victim was single, childless, or 25 or older.

Taylor’s story inspired the creation of HAI. While Taylor’s experience revealed significant accountability gaps within the healthcare system, HAI’s mission extends beyond a single case or law. Today, HAI works to educate the public about broader issues affecting patient safety, healthcare transparency, accountability, and family rights across the nation.