CHARLESTON – A Cabell County woman says her daughter wasn’t given proper medical treatment at Western Regional Jail and died about 30 hours after she was booked into the facility.
Dreama S. Kessick filed a complaint on behalf of her late daughter Amanda L. Kessick on May 22 in Kanawha Circuit Court against PrimeCare Medical of West Virginia Inc. and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“The medical care that is being provided to inmates in our regional jail system is atrocious,” attorney Dante L. diTrapano told The West Virginia Record. “Amanda never had a chance.”
diTrapano
According to the complaint, the younger Kessick was arrested for assault and incarcerated at Western Regional Jail in Barboursville on June 26, 2019. After her intake screening, she was placed in the general jail population.
She complained of severe abdominal pain caused by a physical assault in which she was struck in the abdomen. She also told jail officials she had vomited blood and couldn’t produce urine, which is a sign of hypovolemia possibly secondary to internal bleeding.
“However, despite these complaints and serious symptomology, she was never formally examined by a qualified medical professional,” the complaint states. “She even repeated (the complaint of severe abdominal pain) it to be severe enough that she could not continue with questioning and ‘wanted to lie down.’”
Kessick’s complaints were ignored until the next morning when she was taken to the medical department. Her vital signs showed signs of hypotension, tachycardia and tachypnea. All of those are consistent with possible internal bleeding, the complaint states.
“Kessick should have been sent to an emergency department to evaluate for the possibility of splenic, liver or mesenteric laceration from the direct abdominal trauma,” the complaint states, adding that her vital signs continued to deteriorate through the rest of the day.
“On June 28, 2019, at 5:05 a.m., Ms. Kessick was found with no signs of life in her cell,” the complaint states.
The six-count complaint accuses PrimeCare of medical negligence and vicarious liability. It also accuses the WVDCR of malicious conduct and negligence, and it accuses both defendants of violation of clearly established laws and of negligent hiring, retention and supervision.
“Her history of recent trauma to the stomach and vomiting blood required immediate transfer to a higher care facility,” diTrapano told The Record. “PrimeCare ignored Amanda, and she died alone in her cell from internal bleeding less than 30 hours after being booked into Western Regional Jail.
“It’s shameful that PrimeCare profits millions each year at the expense of the people they are contracted to treat.”
Kessick’s mother seeks compensatory damages for her pain and suffering and medical expenses. She also seeks damages for her daughter’s pain and suffering before her death, the sorrow and emotional suffering of her daughter’s wrongful death beneficiaries, the loss of emotional support and society, pre- and post-judgment interests, attorney fees, court costs, expenses and other relief. She also seeks punitive damages.
She is being represented by diTrapano, Alx McLaughlin and Benjamin D. Adams of the law firm of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston as well as William C. Forbes and W. Jesse Forbes of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 20-C-419