Full Breakdown
TikTok Influencer’s Fatal Opioid Overdose Sparks Wrongful-Death Suit Against Ohio Surgery Center
5/11/2026, 1:32:38 AM
Fatal Opioid Overdose at JourneyLite Surgery Center
On February 25, 2024, Rachel Tussey, a 47-year-old mother of three who documented her wellness journey on TikTok, underwent an abdominoplasty, liposuction, and umbilical hernia repair at JourneyLite of Cincinnati in Evandale. Within 30 minutes after emerging from anesthesia, post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses administered 150 µg of fentanyl and 0.5 mg of Dilaudid—doses that exceeded the total fentanyl given during her nine-hour operation. The overdose precipitated cardiac and respiratory arrest, a six-minute period of brain oxygen deprivation, and ultimately an anoxic brain injury. Tussey died on March 17, 2024, after a brief hospice stay. Her husband, Jeremy Tussey, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging negligence, abandonment by anesthesiologists, and spoliation of records.
Background: TikTok Documentation and Procedure
Tussey had amassed more than 80,000 TikTok followers, posting videos that expressed “excitement and gratitude” and declaring, “I’m in good hands.” The surgery was promoted as the next step in her publicly shared health transformation.
Timeline of Events
- Feb 25: Surgery completed; PACU nurses give 150 µg fentanyl + 0.5 mg Dilaudid within 30 min.
- ~50 min post-op: Husband notices blue lips and lack of response; calls EMS.
- Feb 25-Mar 17: Tussey is transferred to Bethesda North Hospital; diagnosed with severe anoxic brain injury.
- Mar 17: Death recorded.
- July 2024 (Thursday): Husband files suit in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.
Dosage Details and Medical Findings
- Intra-operative: 100 µg fentanyl and 0.5 mg Dilaudid administered over nine hours.
- Post-operative: 150 µg fentanyl and 0.5 mg Dilaudid given within 30 minutes; total of 1 mg Dilaudid delivered in 37 minutes.
- Result: Opioid toxicity leading to cardiac arrest, six minutes of cerebral hypoxia, and death from anoxic brain injury and acute respiratory failure.
Key Parties Involved
- Rachel Tussey – deceased TikTok influencer.
- Jeremy Tussey – husband and plaintiff.
- JourneyLite of Cincinnati – surgery center defendant.
- Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield – anesthesia partner defendant.
- Unnamed PACU nurses – alleged administrators of the overdose.
- Dr. Shahryar Tork – surgeon who performed the procedure.
- Bernard E. Layne – attorney for the plaintiff.
Official Statements & Responses
Attorney Bernard E. Layne said patients “trust the facility to protect their safety at every stage and immediate emergency response if something goes wrong,” describing the alleged failures as a “profound breakdown of basic responsibilities.” Dr. Tork called the death “completely unnecessary,” attributing it to a “recklessly overdosing” nurse and an anesthesiologist who abandoned the patient. No comment from JourneyLite was reported.
Criticism of Clinical Practices
The complaint alleges negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of staff, failure to ensure nurses possessed the “demonstrated competencies and specialized post-anesthesia training” required by Ohio law, and abandonment of the patient by anesthesiologists before the PACU case concluded. It also accuses the center of altering or destroying critical medical and personnel records after litigation became likely.
911 Call Transcript
“She’s unconscious and not coming to nine.” – 911 operator’s recording of the nurse’s report during the emergency call.
Conflicting Reports & Evidentiary Gaps
The lawsuit claims spoliation of records, yet independent verification of the alleged alterations is absent. The anesthesiologists’ departure is described as abandonment, but no response from those providers is included in the filings.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I'm in good hands,” — Rachel Tussey, TikTok video (Feb 25)
- “5 milligrams of Dilaudid within 30 minutes after surgery and failed to appropriately respond when Rachel coded," the complaint alleges.” — Complaint filing
- “SHE’S UNCONSCIOUS AND NOT COMING TO NINE.” — 911 call audio
- “Rachel’s death was completely unnecessary and caused by a JourneyLite nurse recklessly overdosing Rachel on narcotics, and by a JourneyLite anesthesiologist abandoning their patient,” — Dr. Shahryar Tork, plastic surgeon
Upcoming Legal Proceedings
The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and other relief permitted under Ohio law. The case is pending before the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, where further discovery on the alleged record spoliation and staffing practices is expected.
