When most people in Washington State think about situations in which a person may not receive an appropriate level of medical care, they envision typical health care settings. Places like hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes and more are often the locations at which a medical professional may fail to provide the right care to a patient. In addition to locations like these, a jail is another place where people may need medical care and where it may not be properly delivered.
As reported by The Seattle Times, a man who was in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle experienced this first hand. Two years ago, while serving a sentence for assault, the man fell in the early morning hours at the jail. It was not until later that morning that he was seen by a medical person at the jail. Upon asking to be taken to a local hospital, not only was the man denied but he was made fun of by jail staff.
It was only after the man became completely unable to feel anything in his lower body or to walk on his own that he was taken to a hospital. This took an entire 10 days during which time the man fell again and experienced many challenges. It was discovered that the initial fall resulted in a spinal injury and he now has permanent nerve damage that may have been prevented by the administration of prompt and appropriate medical attention.
The man filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in the matter and was recently awarded $1 million in damages.