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$200,000 wrongful death settlement for Texas inmate

On Behalf of | Jul 11, 2013 | Wrongful Death |

Everyone’s brain is slightly different, but there are many areas of the brain that function in exactly the same way for the majority of the population. However, due to chemical imbalances or signal misfires in the brain, some people’s most important brain functioning abilities can be drastically different than the majority. A Texas inmate with a condition that impaired his rational thinking ability received negligent care while incarcerated, and now his mother is receiving a settlement of over $200,000 for his wrongful death.

The victim was incarcerated for allegedly running his vehicle into a closed hangar bay door, a crime in which it was deemed that he rationally knew what he was doing. But he had previously been diagnosed by a psychologist for his rational thinking impairment. The man is said to have beaten his head against the wall for two days.

The man died of blunt force trauma, and allegedly no measures were taken to prevent him from injuring himself. The two guards that were in charge of his care took a plea bargain in exchange for a no contest plea to Class B misdemeanor deadly conduct charges for both of them. The sentence will warrant jail time as well as community service for both guards.

Due to this tragic event, the Texas jail is taking steps to avoid a reoccurrence of this situation. The jail staff is now required to take a suicide prevention course, restraint chair training and they must keep the security camera recordings for at least 30 days. The compensation from the wrongful death lawsuit will help the mother of the victim with the pain and suffering she is enduring as well as funeral costs for her son.

Source: dailytrib.com, “Llano County settles with inmate’s family in wrongful death suit,” Daniel Clifton, June 27, 2013

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