New Jersey readers may be interested in the story of a mother who has filed wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuits against a jail and hospital she alleges are responsible for her son’s 2010 death. The man allegedly died in police custody after being struck on the head and knocked to the ground by another inmate. He apparently hit his head on the concrete floor in the fall and lost consciousness.
The man died days later after brain surgery failed to save his life, and the mother is now pursing the medical malpractice and wrongful death claims in the matter.
The woman’s wrongful death lawsuit against the jail alleges that sheriff’s deputies delayed getting medical attention for her son. According to her lawsuit, not only did they delay calling for an ambulance despite the fact that her son was vomiting blood, bleeding from the nose and mouth and acting delusional, one deputy supposedly made false claims to ambulance paramedics about the man supposedly having access to over-the-counter drugs.
In her lawsuit against the hospital, the mother claims staff engaged in medical malpractice, wrongful death and a civil rights violation for delaying medical care. According to her complaint, medical professionals acted negligently in their diagnosis and treatment of her son. One example cited is that hospital staff did not give the man a head scan until more than seven hours after his arrival at the facility. Court records point out that timely treatment is critical in saving the lives of those who have suffered acute subdural hematomas, which appears to have been the case here.
No parent should suffer the loss of a child due to the negligent actions of others. New Jersey residents who have lost children under similar circumstances know just how difficult it can be. While it remains to be seen whether the hospital or jail will be found negligent in these specific medical malpractice and wrongful death claims, this mother’s life will certainly never be the same again.
No amount of damages has been set in connection with the suits. The mother in this case says her main objective at this point is to see jail and hospital staffs change how they treat prisoners in need of medical attention.
Source: StatesmanJournal.com, “Woman sues hospital, deputies over jail death,” Emily Gillespie, July 20, 2012
