Nursing Assistant Dies 1 Hour After Collapsing While Working at Hospital

A 19-year-old certified nursing assistant died after collapsing during her overnight shift at the Birmingham children’s hospital where she worked, according to reporting from AL.com. Jakoya Renae Morgan, of Center Point, Alabama, was found unresponsive while on duty at Children’s of Alabama and could not be saved.

Morgan collapsed at 4:12 a.m. on May 26, 2026, while she was at work, then was rushed to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5 a.m., according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.

In the days since, her death has drawn an outpouring of grief and a wave of anger online, as friends, family, and fellow healthcare workers raise pointed questions about what happened in the hours before she died. For nurses and CNAs who work long overnight shifts, the story has hit especially close to home.

Morgan was working an overnight shift at Children’s of Alabama, a major pediatric hospital in Birmingham, when she was found unresponsive in the early morning hours. After she was transported to nearby UAB Hospital, she died less than an hour after the collapse was reported.

An autopsy was performed the same day. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said the examination revealed “an acute and significant medical event” that “can be associated with a chronic health condition the decedent was previously diagnosed with.” Yates said there was no evidence of trauma or foul play.

The coroner’s office added that “the final cause of death is pending additional laboratory studies,” meaning an official determination has not yet been issued. None of the social media allegations described below have been confirmed by investigators.

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Morgan’s death prompted an outcry across multiple social media platforms:

• Where friends and family alleged that the teen had reported not feeling well but was not allowed to go home.
• Others claimed that hospital workers were stopped from trying to perform life-saving measures on Morgan.
• These claims are unverified, have not been substantiated by the coroner’s office, and no allegation has been proven.

Children’s of Alabama addressed the loss in a statement, calling it a “sudden loss” and saying, “We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and her colleagues.” The hospital said its care teams “respond immediately and initiate appropriate life-saving measures as they are trained to do.”

Hospital statement

“We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and her colleagues,” the statement read. “In any emergency like this involving a patient or employee, our care teams respond immediately and initiate appropriate life-saving measures as they are trained to do.”

For nurses and nursing assistants, Morgan’s death lands on a familiar fear: getting sick or feeling unwell during a shift and worrying that speaking up will not change anything. While investigators have not confirmed any of the workplace allegations circulating online, the intensity of the reaction reflects a broader anxiety about whether frontline staff, especially young and newer workers, feel safe reporting symptoms and stepping away when they need care.

🤔 If you started feeling seriously unwell midway through an overnight shift, would you feel comfortable telling your charge nurse you needed to go home? Tell us about your workplace in the comments.

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