The family of a woman who died after five weeks in the Delaware County Jail filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Delaware County Jail in the 3rd District Federal Court, accusing jail officials of ignoring the medical and mental-health needs of the decedent until it was too late. When the decedent was first incarcerated, the jail personnel were informed that she suffered from mental illness and schizophrenia. During the 78 nursing shifts for the five weeks she was incarcerated before she died, her vital signs were taken only 17 times. And even though she was on suicide watch, the jail refused to provide her with psychotropic medication. When she had a seizure, jail medical staff waited nearly an hour and a half before calling 911. By the time ambulance arrived, she was non-responsive. The Delaware County Medical Examiner stated in the autopsy report that the cause of death was profound hypothyroidism, a condition which slows metabolism. While she was in jail, she did not receive any treatment for hypothyroidism. The family alleged in their lawsuit that her death was the result of a deliberate indifference by the jail personnel to her basic and serious medical and psychological needs and violated their own policies for caring for their inmates. http://www.foleygriffin.com/
October 20, 2008
Wrongful Death of Incarcerated Woman
The family of a woman who died after five weeks in the Delaware County Jail filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Delaware County Jail in the 3rd District Federal Court, accusing jail officials of ignoring the medical and mental-health needs of the decedent until it was too late. When the decedent was first incarcerated, the jail personnel were informed that she suffered from mental illness and schizophrenia. During the 78 nursing shifts for the five weeks she was incarcerated before she died, her vital signs were taken only 17 times. And even though she was on suicide watch, the jail refused to provide her with psychotropic medication. When she had a seizure, jail medical staff waited nearly an hour and a half before calling 911. By the time ambulance arrived, she was non-responsive. The Delaware County Medical Examiner stated in the autopsy report that the cause of death was profound hypothyroidism, a condition which slows metabolism. While she was in jail, she did not receive any treatment for hypothyroidism. The family alleged in their lawsuit that her death was the result of a deliberate indifference by the jail personnel to her basic and serious medical and psychological needs and violated their own policies for caring for their inmates. http://www.foleygriffin.com/
