More details to this question:
I have a loved one incarcerated in the IDOC, he was in an altercation and at the time of injury he was being housed in the gymnasium, which is not set up for the Correctional Officer to be able to see all inmates at the same time. After being attacked and seeing how bad the injury was, he told a CO he needed immediate medical treatment. The CO, called the healthcare, and confirmed he had an inmate that needed outside medical treatment. They then told him he would have to wait for morning, and would not even send someone to see about him. After eleven hours he was taken to the nearest hospital for stitches to an open wound. He now has a scar on his upper lip. The correctional facility should have been on top of supervising all inmates and taking care of medical injuries quicker. He is now stuck with a permeant scar on his face.
1 ANSWER
Michael Clancy
I'm sorry to learn of your loved one's troubles. It is possible to sue employees of the DOC and the health care providers (which I believe are private contractors). The problem is that bringing suit is expensive and risky, and a scar on a lip doesn't sound like it is likely to generate the possibility of a verdict large enough for most lawyer to take the risk. Nevertheless, your best option is to speak with a lawyer who handles these types of claims, let him or her gather the information necessary to make a decision about whether to take the case, and then go from there.
I wish you the best of luck.
Michael Clancy
Answered on Jan 30th, 2013 at 3:24 PM