In 2012, Joe Dent, age 52 was in the Douglas County, Georgia Jail’s Medical Unit when he died after he was returned from the hospital that had diagnosed him with pericarditis (inflammation around an area of the heart), gout, and kidney failure. A day before his death, Dent was given Bactrim in a double dose which was an antibiotic that was listed in his chart as one that he was allergic too.
Mr. Dent’s mother, Joyce Dent, is now bringing a suit against CorrectHealth, who manages inmate healthcare in Georgia, as well as William, Corn, England, Eason, and Bell who have all been named as Defendants. The case is Dent v. CorrectHealth, No. 2014CV252453.
The night after Dent was administered the fatal dose, he complained that he had a shortness of breath and he requested oxygen. It has been noted, however, that there were no steps taken to address his complaints such as listening to his lungs or calling for a doctor. After numerous complaints by Dent that his lungs were filling up, that his feet were swelling, nurses’ might have acknowledged Dent’s complaints, but no nurse did anything about it.
Dent died shortly thereafter, even after other inmates banged on the medial unit door to get a nurse for Dent.
Although Plaintiff’s Counsel has been met with some resistance from other’s he has consulted with on this case in the legal community including, but not limited to, that the damages will not be enough to pursue, that the Deceased will not be a very sympathetic character to the finder of fact, the Plaintiff’s Counsel has held fast, and correctly so, and he quotes, “My thought is, ‘Too bad, you still can’t just kill him.’ Sure, he’s in jail, but you can’t give him a drug and not care whether it kills him.”
In 2011, prior to hiring CorrectHealth, Douglas County settled with a decedent’s inmates’ widow for $937,500 when her husband died in Douglas County, GA jail for improper treatment of a kidney disorder causing his death in 2009.
Apparently, to avoid this type of situation form repeating itself, in 2011, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced that it was contracting with CorrectHealth, “to provide medical care and reassess the condition of more than 800 inmates.” CorrectHealth also manages care in Louisiana and other places as well.
From the looks of it, it is hard to determine if hiring CorrectHealth was the right decision if Douglas County’s objective was to absolve itself from liability for these types of abhorrent cases. Time will tell.
At Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates we have the success, knowledge and experience in representing all types of people and their loved ones in Wrongful Death Actions so if you or your loved one has been injured or killed by the Negligent Acts of Another, then please Contact Us today for your free legal consultation. We represent people in Georgia and Florida, and we also accept cases Nationwide in certain areas of our law practice.
We are here to help you get all of the compensation that you are justly entitled to receive and deserve under the circumstances!