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Rights while in jail?

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brookelea

Guest
What is the name of your state? Washington State

Does an inmate have the right to medical treatment if injured during an activity while there? My husband was in the county jail and during an outdoor game of volleyball during rec time he injured his knee making it barely able to walk on. He requested and kited medical treatment, but none was given or even addressed. He was released about 1 week later. he cannot even run around and play with our son, because it goes out and starts to swell up and he is in excrutiating pain, however we do not have the money to see a doctor about this. Since it happened while in jail, shouldnt they have had a doctor look at it while he was there?

Does he have any recourse about their lack of providing medical treatment for an injury incurred while in their care? He tried to call lawyers in the phone book but they said this type of thing is covered under civil rights and I have no idea where to find a civil rights lawyer, I have searched the phone book and did some searching online but it mostly seems to be civil rights for discrimination only.

Any information would be helpful!
 


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brookelea

Guest
Since no one has replied to this can someone at least reply with which subject/forum to put this post under to get an answer on this?
 
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zippa

Guest
lets be realistic,

No one cares about inmate problems, he hurt his little leggy poo while in jail playing volleyball.

The fact is you are looking for FREE money, and you are not getting any, if he hurt himself in your yard, you still wouldnt have gone to the doctors because you are Broke!

So just consider this his punishment for being dumb enough to get locked up.....

hint... real men dont go to jail!
 
K

knorris

Guest
zippa,

If your only purpose is to be a negative smart azz why bother ? Every one of your replys that I have read, has nothing to contribute to this forum. You're an IDIOT !!!!!!. :eek:
 

stephenk

Senior Member
since he was participating in a voluntary activity, the jail would not be liable for his injuries. the only way the jail would be responsible would be if they made the players play in an unsafe area or did something else that made the game more dangerous.

Since he was released after one week, there wasnt much that could have been done to treat him. maybe some tylenol or a cold pack.

Now that he is free he can go to a hospital ER and find out what happened to his knee. but there does not seem to be any negligence on the jail, county or state. i doubt any attorney will take the case but check with attorneys who deal with personal injury not civil rights.
 
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zippa

Guest
Knorris:

Ex-cons are Not on my list of preferred charities this year.

I dont get why you still live with him, how come all my friends never seem to get arrested?

oh well....we dont care.
 
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knorris

Guest
zippy, what the hell are you talking about? why do i live with who? As for why haven't any of your freinds ever been arrested? I find it hard to believe you have never been arrested, You're to stupid to not be arrested. And I'm sure the same is true for all of zippy's little buddy's. Ex-con Charitie, every post I have read of your's show's how selfish, Rude and uncaring of others you are. so why would anyone expect zippy to donate to any charitie. Have a good day zippy, Kathie :D :D :D
 
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brookelea

Guest
Thanks for all the negative comments which were completely uncalled for and those of you not knowing the reasoning behind this person going to jail make the assumption that anyone who ends up in jail must be of the lowest class of person in our society to have had ended up there in the first place and therefore must have deserved whatever sort of treatment they received. Not that cops or the government makes mistakes everyday, and innocent people go to jail due to their errors, and that people sit in jail awaiting trial under the assumption of guilty until proven innocent, which this countries judicial system bases the criminal process on, however most of you would presume it the other way around.

But back to the subject and what I got out of the only post that had useful information, is that if it is a voluntary activity they do not have to provide medical treatment whatsoever. Or is it that the injury was not significant enough to warrant anything done for it?

Given the following example: if an inmate is participating in some sort of voluntary activity that was not under dangerous conditions and happens to fall and break their leg to the point that the bone is protruding through the skin and losing large amounts of blood and the jail did nothing for the inmate, further this person due to the lack of immediate medical attention had life effecting consequences in the use of their leg due to their own lack of coordination, the jail would not be held accountable in any way? Or due to the extent of the injury the jail would obviously do something about it, right?

Since you say there is nothing they could have done for it other than an ice pack, which in turn would have helped the swelling and the extent of further torn muscles/ligaments due to activities required (not voluntary) of inmates while incarcerated, they cant be held liable for this?

And to address those of you that assume anyone posting such questions is only out for money, that has nothing to do with the issue at hand, we dont want money other than to cover medical costs due to the need for extensive surgery, in the hopes that eventually he will be able to sustain a normal activity level and enjoy time playing with our son.

I guess this board is just a huge waste of time, because anytime I read posts in any of the forums on this website it seems lots of replies are only flames and petty remarks, rather than real help for those in need of legal advice.

Only reply to this post if you have actually helpful or accurate information, not just want to spout out at the mouth and show us all how mature you really are.
 

stephenk

Senior Member
you misunderstood my post. just because he was participating in a voluntary activity does not mean the prison should not treat his injury, it just means the prison liability is limited.

From your post, did your hubby just twist his knee? Has he gone to a doctor since being released and given a diagnosis of what is wrong with his knee?

If he tore ligaments, then your doctor would have to also determine what treatment should have been provided for the one week your hubby was still in jail. Much also depends on what your hubby told prison officials. If he just said dont worry it will go away, then they were not going to do much. If he was unable to walk, then that is a different story.

Typical treatment would be wrapping the knee and taking a MRI to determine if a tear existed. Some people can live with the tears others need surgery. But even in outside prison cases, all of this would not be accomplished within a week.
 

stephenk

Senior Member
you misunderstood my post. just because he was participating in a voluntary activity does not mean the prison should not treat his injury, it just means the prison liability is limited.

From your post, did your hubby just twist his knee? Has he gone to a doctor since being released and given a diagnosis of what is wrong with his knee?

If he tore ligaments, then your doctor would have to also determine what treatment should have been provided for the one week your hubby was still in jail. Much also depends on what your hubby told prison officials. If he just said dont worry it will go away, then they were not going to do much. If he was unable to walk, then that is a different story.

Typical treatment would be wrapping the knee and taking a MRI to determine if a tear existed. Some people can live with the tears others need surgery. But even in outside prison cases, all of this would not be accomplished within a week.
 
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brookelea

Guest
No he informed the gaurds on duty he needed treatment, they told him to fill out a "kite" to request medical treatment. No one ever did anything, or even provided something for the pain. And yes, he was unable to walk. It was about 4 days before the swelling went down and the pain subsided. It continues to flare up and he is completely incapacitated for at least a week and has been informed it requires surgery.
 

stephenk

Senior Member
since the pain and swelling diminished during the week, then there isnt much the prison could have done.

It then goes back to the accident itself. Since it was a voluntary activity and there is an inherent risk of injury while playing, the prison would only be responsible for treatment for the one week he is under their supervision. Once he was released he is on his own.

Cant you apply for state aid?
 
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brookelea

Guest
we are already in the process of applying for state aid, but it has not been approved/denied yet. Im researching all options at this point.

you said the prison would be responsible for treatment during the week he was there. but they provided none.

if the doctor determines, had he gotten treatment right away, the damage done would have been minimal, and since they provided none whatsoever, would there be any liability at that point?
 

stephenk

Senior Member
depends on the injury he has. would lack of any treatment make the injury worse or have no affect at all? Ask your doctor.
 
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gooberitiz

Guest
Brookelea:

I guess your husband has FINALLY learned a very PAINFULL lesson in life skills:

Dont do anything stupid enough, so you wind up in JAIL!!!
 

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