Widow of Rock 'n' Roll Marathon runner still waits for death certificate
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- It's been two months since a man died while running in Raleigh's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, and his widow is still waiting for a death certificate.
Now, without a death certificate, Renee Schlosser can't receive her late husband's death benefits, which means it's impossible for her to move forward with her life.
Jason Schlosser, 31, who was an avid runner, collapsed at mile 11. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the hospital.
Renee said Wake County's Medical Examiner's Office sent her a bill and preliminary death certificate within a month with the official cause of death listed as pending.
The medical examiner told her they were waiting on a toxicology report, and that it could take six months to get the death certificate.
However, no one has been able to tell her why, and that's the problem.
Renee can't get her husband's life insurance benefits without that detail. So now her medical bills are mounting, and the setbacks have created just as much grief as her husband's death.
"Nothing is going to bring Jason back. Nothing is going to change the outcome of the situation, but I feel like it's become much harder than it needs to be because of this," said Renee. "I feel like there are other families out there dealing with the same thing."
The Department of Health and Human Services said the time to complete death certificates varies based on a number of factors, and that the chief medical examiner's office understands the importance of timeliness and accuracy for waiting, grieving families.
