Suit: Inmate Died Because Of Inadequate Medical Care
CHICAGO (STMW) - A wrongful death lawsuit was filed Wednesday claiming that a Cook County Jail inmate died because he did not receive medical attention last year.
Lennetha Wilson-Hewitt, the estate administrator of Kareem Wilson, filed the suit Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
The suit claims Wilson was an inmate at Cook County Jail, the morning of April 14, 2011, when he began suffering from nausea, rapid heart rate and profuse sweating.
Wilson repeatedly asked Cook County correctional officers for medical attention but did not receive any until other inmates began yelling and beating on the doors for help in the afternoon, the suit said.
A guard came to his jail cell with a defibrillator but did not use it, the suit said. By the time someone came to his cell to use the device, Wilson had died of heart failure.
The suit claims Cook County failed to properly train, supervise, or discipline its employees, who failed to follow guidelines for providing medical attention to inmates. The county also failed to discipline or reprimand employees.
The five-count suit claims wrongful death, negligence and a violation of Wilson's civil rights. It seeks more than $250,000 in damages and court costs.
Frank Bilecki, spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff's office was immediately aware of the suit.
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