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Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

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Monday, June 25, 2007

Family Will Sue Over Jail Death

The family of Emily Rae Rice will sue over her death at the jail after she was mistreated by both the hospital and the people at the jail.

The family of a woman who died last year while in the care of Denver sheriff's deputies plans to announce the filing of a lawsuit against the city today.

Emily Rae Rice, 24, died in jail on Feb. 19, 2006, of internal injuries suffered in a car accident the day before.

The woman's family contends that doctors who treated her before sending her to jail, as well as jail guards and employees, are responsible for her death because they failed to provide her with appropriate medical attention.

The family and its lawyers will appear at 11 a.m. at the City and County Building to announce the lawsuit.

Doctors treated Rice at Denver Health Medical Center after the accident and then sent her to jail on suspicion of drunken driving. She died 20 hours later after complaining for hours and asking for medical attention, her family said. Her pleas were ignored, they said.

The family plans to name the city, Denver Health and Hospitals, and several doctors, nurses and jail guards in the lawsuit, according to a news release issued by the Rice family's lawyers, Darold Killmer and Mari Newman.

"Despite having reported significant pain, and despite the fact that she had just been involved in a violent car accident, no tests were run on her, and vital signs were not taken upon her discharge to the Denver Jail," the news release states.

Denver Health has declined to comment.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

iT'S ABOUT TIME!!! BOTH INSTITUTIONS HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH ALOT IN THE YEARS,,,THE DEATHS AND DISABILITIES CAUSED TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN SWEPT UNDER THE RUG...IS HEDIOUS. FOR THIS FAMILY TO PURSUE THE MATTER IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE THE JAILS AND THE DHMC ACCOUNTABLE (AT LEAST MAKE THEM SQUEAK A BIT)AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE AND WHO LIVES IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY FOR 20 YEARS, IT GIVES ME THE PLEASURE TO SEE THEM IN COURT. BUT WILL THE FAMILY SETTLE OUT - IN MOST CASES MONEY WILL KEEP THEM FROM MAKING IT A PUBLIC POLICY ISSUE. EITHER WAY IT'S BRINGS SOME LIGHT TO THE ISSUE - INSTITUTIONAL ABUSE OF PEOPLE'S RIGHTS MUST BE DENOUNCED BY FIRING THOSE ON TOP!!

Anonymous said...

The family should go to court and reveal to the world what happened to their daughter and they will win more money then settling. Doing the right thing in respect and honor to her memory. ~ God Bless Her family and all those fighting the good fight! ~

Anonymous said...

I feel your loss.....My daughter Kasie was in the Butler County Jail in ElDorado Kansas and died after being there 5 days. They ignored her begging to go to the hospital. She had pneumonia and they just let her lay there. We as parents even called them to get her medical help. The Butler County Jail feel that they did everything they could for Kasie as she was taken to the infermary 8 times and was given tylenol. They even took her to court at 1:15 on June 25th in a wheelchair and she was so incoherant that the judge told them to get her help. She died that evening at 9:23 at the jail...they called an ambulance and she finally got to go to the hospital.....unfortunately dead.