CHARLESTON – The estate of a Marion County man blames poor medical care for his suicide while in jail.
Paula Wells, as administratrix of the estate of Richard Eugene Wells III, filed her complaint March 15 in Kanawha Circuit Court against PrimeCare Medical Inc., the West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Dr. Andrea Huffman and possible yet-unknown corrections officers. Paula Wells is Richard Eugene Wells III’s mother.
PrimeCare provides health care services to inmates at facilities operated by the WVDCR, including the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County. Huffman is a doctor who lives in Harrison County.
“Another disturbing example of PrimeCare and the State ignoring the mental health of an inmate,” attorney L. Dante diTrapano told The West Virginia Record.
According to the complaint, 29-year-old Richard Eugene Wells III was jailed at NCRJ on March 11, 2022. He was assessed through an intake screening process and had seven prior incarcerations. Medical records also show a history of mental illness that caused him to be placed on suicide watch in 2017, the complaint states.
The complaint says defendants were familiar with Wells and his substance use disorders, his history of mental illness, his previous prescriptions, his likelihood of withdrawal and his previous suicidal ideations.
During his intake process, he reported daily opioid abuse and said he would go through detox. He also denied suicidal ideation but said he had attempted suicide in the past. It also notes “issues during previous incarcerations (assaults and suicide attempts).”
Medical records show Wells suffered “significant withdrawal” after incarceration. On March 12, 2022, Huffman prescribed him Clonidine, Zofran, Pepto-Bismol, Gatorade and Clindamycin for withdrawal and its symptoms.
“The reasonably prudent medical and mental health professional would recognize these medications heighten depression and anxiety and suicide risk,” the complaint states. “Dr. Huffman did not conduct a mental health screening, failed to provide a mental health assessment and failed to refer Mr. Wells for psychiatric evaluation.”
The complaint says Wells also was not placed in suicide watch during his final incarceration.
On March 13, 2022, Wells was assaulted by fellow inmates and sent for evaluation.
“A reasonably prudent mental health or medical provider would have recognized that an assault upon a person with a history of mental illness and previous attempted suicide constituted a highly likely trigger for self-harm and required treatment for his mental illness and substance use disorders,” the complaint states.
Two days later, Wells was again sent to the emergency room after correction officers noted he was febrile.
“PrimeCare staff relied solely on cursory intake screening to conclude he did not require close or careful observation, suicide prevention or even a mental health assessment,” the complaint states. “Despite the abundant evidence of severe mental illness and numerous suicide attempts clearly documented during his many prior incarcerations, defendants failed to obtain a mental health screening or referral or a psychiatric evaluation for Mr. Wells.”
The complaint says PrimeCare’s actions were a “gross deviation from the standard of care.”
“This fact is evidenced by the times Mr. Wells was cleared for general population by medical assistants yet subsequently proved greatly ill and self-injurious,” the complaint states. “When Mr. Wells was later assessed by medical or mental health professionals, much more information was obtained than was ever captured in the cursory questions posed by undertrained and inexperienced medical assistants.”
On March 16, 2022, Wells was found hanging from a light fixture in his cell. His autopsy stated his cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging.
The estate accuses PrimeCare and Huffman of medical negligence, PrimeCare of negligent training and supervision, and the WVDCR of negligence, negligent training and deliberate indifference.
The estate seeks compensatory damages for Wells’ pain and suffering before his death as well as the sorrow, emotional suffering and loss of support for his beneficiaries. It also seeks punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees, litigation expenses and other relief.
The estate is being represented by diTrapano, Amanda J. Davis and Charles F. Bellomy of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston, by Jesse Forbes and Jennifer Taylor of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston and by Joseph D. Garcia of Garcia Law in Fairmont. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 24-C-35