Key Takeaways:
– San Diego County has agreed to pay a $5 million settlement following a young man’s death in jail in 2019.
– The lawsuit was filed by Phyllis Jackson, the mother of the deceased, who accused the jail system of not providing her son with his life-sustaining medications.
– Documents and depositions during the lawsuit revealed a chaotic medication distribution system within the jail.
– The Sheriff’s office states there have been significant improvements made in the county’s jails since the incident.
San Diego County has agreed to a nearly $5 million settlement with the family of a young man who died in a local jail about six years ago. The plaintiff, Phyllis Jackson, filed the lawsuit in federal court in 2020. Her claim was based on the failure of jail officials to provide her son, Michael Wilson, with the prescription medications he needed for his life-threatening conditions.
Michael Wilson’s Struggle and Arrest
Born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure, Michael Wilson, had a complex and critical medical history since his infancy. But with the aid of a pacemaker and a regimen of necessary medications, he had managed to live a normal life. His medication enabled him to avoid a congestion of fluids in his lungs, a fatal situation known as a medical emergency.
In February 2019, Wilson was arrested for violating his probation and was immediately taken to the downtown Central Jail in San Diego for a two-week stay. The judge in charge underscored Wilson’s serious health conditions, issuing a court order for the jail’s medical staff to be aware of his needs.
Health Complains Ignored
Despite providing full disclosure of his medical needs during his arrest, Wilson was not provided with the medication he relied on for survival. As a result, he constantly complained of health crisis in his multiple requests to see a doctor. Two days after his arrival at the jail, Wilson filed his first request. His mother also contacted the jail, emphasizing his serious heart condition and need for urgent medical attention. Even amid all these calls for help, Wilson’s health complaints were largely ignored.
Delayed Medical Attention and Death
His health situation worsened, and his mother had to make a call to demand immediate hospitalization for her son on February 11. Only then was he given some medical attention, suffering from severe cough and struggling to breathe. For the next few days, Wilson’s requests for help were responded to with inadequate and inappropriate medical care.
By February 14, just nine days after his arrest, Wilson collapsed in his cell from his top bunk. He was later pronounced dead at the UCSD Medical Center, the autopsy report showing his lungs had dangerously doubled in size due to fluid buildup.
Negligence from Jail Authorities
Despite high-profile cases of fatalities in jail, including Wilson’s case in 2019, San Diego County jail has had a grave record of fatalities. As many as 185 deaths occurred there from 2006 to 2020, marking the jail system as one of the deadliest in California.
Eugene Iredale, the attorney representing Wilson’s mother, criticized the county counsel for emotionally draining the family and the lawyers with constant delays and refusals to disclose critical information. These acts were allegedly part of a policy to prolong the case resolution.
Exploring the System’s Failure
Aside from Iredale’s accusations, depositions and documents presented during the lawsuit provided a revealing picture of the jail’s chaotic medication distribution system. Multiple nurses revealed the lack of a proper tracking system for medication distribution. Additionally, combining pills to achieve a prescribed dosage was not permitted, further complicating Wilson’s already complex medical needs.
Efforts towards Improvements
In the wake of these revelations and the substantial settlement, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office stated that there had been significant improvements under Sheriff Kelly Martinez. Recent initiatives include improved record-keeping, comprehensive nurse assessment at intake, and a better system for securing and inventorying prescription medications.