Lawsuit filed in death of man in Lycoming County Prison custody
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The family of a Williamsport man who died in the custody of the Lycoming County Prison filed a federal lawsuit Friday that alleged his jailors "disregarded" his worsening symptoms until it was too late, WNEP reported.
According to an autopsy, Chaz Donya Turner, 33, died of COVID-19 and complications from diabetes on Jan. 15, 2022, said Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling.
Turner had a history of diabetes and hyperglycemia, and had visited UPMC Williamsport on Jan. 2, 2022, complaining of abdominal issues, a report from WNEP said.
Two days later, Turner was arrested and jailed on felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting two nurses, according to court documents.
After becoming very ill on Jan. 13, 2022, Turner was attended to by jailhouse physicians, who measured his blood pressure and vital signs, and returned him to his cell, according to WNEP.
His condition soon worsened, the lawsuit alleged, with another inmate urging jail officials to get him medical attention. Word reached his family, who asked the jail to transfer him to a hospital for treatment, WNEP reported.
One jail representative hung up on Turner's mother as she pleaded for help, according to the lawsuit.
Turner was rushed by ambulance from the jail at 277 W. Third St. to UPMC Williamsport, after he stopped breathing and his pulse ceased, where he was pronounced dead at 2 p.m.
"By the time prison health authorities and correctional officers finally permitted Mr. Turner to be treated at an area hospital, his condition had progressed to a terminal stage," Getson and Haileab wrote.
The suit, brought on behalf of the late Chaz Donya Turner, seeks damages for claims of negligence and civil rights violations, WNEP said.
"Despite multiple pleas by Mr. Turner to LCP staff and prison officials to be evaluated and provided with medical care, he was consistently turned away," Philadelphia attorneys Adam Getson and Simon Haileab wrote in the lawsuit.
Officials from Lycoming County have not yet responded to the lawsuit, according to WNEP.