Brain Injury Attorney Blog

In 2008, over several days, Sedgwick County jail inmate Terry Bruner didn’t eat. He moaned, hacked, vomited, excreted blood, stared into space and ended up in a fetal position in a pile of trash on his cell floor, court documents say. Jail deputies said they didn’t think he was seriously sick. The inmate wrongly suffered without medical care before his death. Apparently, Bruner's death was completely preventable had he received proper medical care. Under jail policy, it’s partly up to inmates to request treatment. But Bruner’s condition made him confused and unable to walk, court documents say. When he got treatment, it was too late.

As this case heads to federal trial in Wichita this week, wrongful death attorneys a prepared to collect damages from the county. The lawsuit is seeking $10 million.

Now, nearly four years after Bruner's death, a jury will decide whether two deputies showed “deliberate indifference” to the inmate's serious medical needs. Or whether, as the defendants argue, he didn’t show serious medical problems. Some jail staff reportedly thought he was mentally ill or faking being sick. The lawsuit alleges that two deputies, Mary Staton and Marque Jameson, disregarded the risk and failed to take reasonable measures to help Bruner at a critical time.

The autopsy conducted after his untimely death revealed Bruner died of actue meningitis, which overwhelmed his body and caused his brain to swell. A court document states that had medical staff provided Bruner with an IV with antibiotics about 6 hours prior to his death, the inmate probably would have survived.

Another wrongful death lawsuit is being filed this month by Janet Davis. According to Davis, a jail in Lexington, Kentucky failed to give her son, Anthony Davis proper medical care which lead to his death. Jail records show that Davis had been evaluated early that morning and that the mental health workers in the jail claimed that he was “manipulating the system.” The records, which have since been partially redacted, also show that his mother called the jail in June and was “distraught.” At one point, jail officials claimed Davis was acting “erratically” and moved him to an a separate united for refusing to follow directions, instead of putting him in the medical unit. He was finally moved to the medical unit in the evening but was found without a pulse two hours later.

If you or someone you know has a wrongful death claim, it will be beneficial to speak with a wrongful death attorney in your area. Call one of the Myrtle Beach wrongful death lawyers at The Mace Firm to schedule your free consultation.