Each year, families all over Louisiana lose loved ones as a result of negligence. These families may be struggling financially as well as emotionally after such a loss. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible parties may allow families to recover damages that will help pay some of the bills.
One Louisiana family is filing a lawsuit against sheriffs and prison officials after an inmate died in his cell last year. He was found unconscious and could not be revived. Authorities say that the death was caused by severe heart problems. The family, including the man’s son and two daughters, believes that the death was caused by neglect.
The man was arrested in September of 2014 after threatening to kill a judge, a prosecutor and himself after losing his appeal of a DWI arrest. He was booked into Parish Prison shortly thereafter. The man’s family expressed concern for his welfare and called the prison multiple times while the man was there. The lawsuit alleges that the prison officials were not equipped to treat his mental illness.
The lawsuit alleges that the inmate in the next cell saw prison officials use a Taser on the man, slam the door on his head and leave him naked on the floor shortly before he was found dead. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office states that the man was monitored by medical staff and died of natural causes. They say they have no record of any Taser deployment by the staff from numerous witnesses. This is the third inmate death at the prison since April of 2014.
Source: The Advocate, “Gonzales man’s family files wrongful death suit against East Baton Rouge sheriff, prison for allegedly ignoring medical, mental issues,” Joe Gyan Jr., Nov. 7, 2015
