New York ( CNN ) -- An Ohio man whose wife died in a car accident earlier this year is suing the hospital where she was a nurse , claiming she was `` worked to death , '' and that the hospital knew about it . Jim Jasper 's wife , Beth , was killed on March 16 while driving home after a 12-hour shift . The wrongful death lawsuit , filed last week , alleges that from 2011 to the time of her death , Beth Jasper 's unit at the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati was `` regularly understaffed , '' causing some nurses , including Jasper , to work through breaks and pick up additional shifts . Additionally , Jasper was routinely called into work while off duty because she was one of the few nurses qualified to work the unit 's dialysis machines , according to the suit . `` It needs to change . These nurses can not be treated this way , '' Jim Jasper told CNN affiliate WCPO , referring to the conditions he says led to his wife 's death . `` They ca n't continue to work these nurses and expect them to pick up the slack because they do n't want to staff the hospitals . '' Staff shortages and overextended shifts for nurses are a nationwide issue , according to National Nurses United , the nation 's largest union representing registered nurses , with nearly 185,000 members throughout the country . But wrongful death litigation stemming from staffing issues is unusual . `` Chronic understaffing is rampant throughout hospitals around the country , '' said Bonnie Castillo , the union 's government relations director . `` It is probably the single biggest issue facing nurses nowadays , and it 's not only affecting nurses , but patient health as well . '' Jim Jasper 's attorney , Eric Deters , said Beth Jasper may have fallen asleep before her car veered off the road , jumped an embankment and struck a tree . During her final shift , according to the lawsuit , Beth Jasper told other nurses she was `` really stressed '' and `` had n't eaten . '' The lawsuit alleges that fatigue from being overworked contributed to the death of the 38-year-old mother of two . `` This is just a tragic situation , '' Deters said Tuesday . `` The hospital clearly did not take care of its own people , and it did so deliberately . '' Jasper 's lawsuit claims that hospital staffers , including his wife 's supervisor , were aware of the staffing problems and alerted the hospital 's parent company , Mercy Health Group . Her supervisor expressed concern to superiors that Beth Jasper was being `` worked to death , '' yet the hospital did nothing to deal with the staffing issue , the suit said . Nanette Bentley , a spokeswoman for Mercy Health Group , expressed sympathy for the family , but declined to comment on pending litigation . Castillo , the union representative , said `` safe staffing ratios '' of nurses to patients remain largely unregulated in the United States . California is the only state with safe staffing ratio laws , Castillo said . The law requires nurses on general medical or surgical floors to care for no more than five patients at a time , and nurses in intensive care units to care for no more than two . The law has been in effect since 2004 . The union has pushed for safe staffing legislation around the country . Worked to death : When going to work kills .
Lawsuit claims wrongful death after nurse dies in wreck on way home from work . Beth Jasper apparently fell asleep behind the wheel after a 12-hour shift . Staff shortages and long shifts are nationwide problem , says national nurses ' union .