Frederick Man Dies Before Court Hearing on Use of Feeding Tube

A Maryland man severely disabled by a heart attack died hours before a court hearing Wednesday to determine whether his feeding tube would be removed, lawyers for both sides said.

A Frederick County Circuit Court judge declared the case moot, abruptly ending a legal skirmish reminiscent of the Terri Schiavo case. Schiavo was a Florida woman with brain damage who died in 2005 after her feeding tube was removed following a 12-year court battle between family members.

The Maryland case involved Daniel Sanger, 55, of Rohrersville. His mother and brother were seeking an injunction requiring Frederick Memorial Hospital to continue providing sustenance through a feeding tube, contrary to his wife's wishes.

Sanger apparently died of complications from pneumonia and an infected bed sore, said Kristina Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network. The group, led by Schiavo's brother Bobby, supported Sanger's mother and brother in the case.

Attorney Alan Winik, representing Sanger's wife, Leta, said she called him at 7 a.m., two hours before the hearing, to say her husband had died overnight. Winik declined to comment further. He said Leta Sanger would have no public comment.

Attorney Daniel Cox, representing Sanger's mother Phyllis of Colonial Beach, Va., and brother Mark of Eugene, Ore., also declined to comment. Cox is a member of the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based legal network that was involved in Schiavo's case.