CHARLESTON – The estate of a Kanawha County man with a long history of mental illness blames the state jail system and its medical provider for his death.
Virginia Sandra Samples, administratrix of the estate of William H. Samples Jr., filed her complaint March 7 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Wexford Health Sources Inc., Ronnie Thompson, Dr. Alfred Baldera and unnamed corrections officers.
Virginia Samples is William Samples Jr.’s mother. Thompson is superintendent of the South Central Regional Jail in Kanawha County, and Baldera works for Wexford.
diTrapano
| Courtesy photo
“This is another example of a regional jail and their third-party medical provider failing to treat a young man who struggled with mental illness with the care and dignity he deserved,” attorney L. Dante diTrapano told The West Virginia Record. “Sadly, this happens routinely in the horrible system that is in place in West Virginia.”
According to the complaint, Samples had a long history of mental illness and suicidal thoughts, and his mental health history is documented in records with Prestera and Family Care-St. Albans. He also had five prior incarcerations, including stays at South Central Regional Jail that included medical treatment for substance abuse disorder and attempted suicide. He was placed on suicide watch during a prior jail visit in 2019.
“Samples was found beating his head against the wall at the regional jail prompting medical staff to place him at suicide watch which was implemented by Corrections staff and medical staff at SCRJ,” the complaint states. “In June 2021, Mr. Samples began treatment at FamilyCare-St. Albans where he was diagnosed with depressive disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, history of seizures, substance abuse disorder and bipolar disorder.”
On March 7, 2023, the 45-year-old Samples again was incarcerated at SCRJ and assessed through the intake screening process.
“WVDCR and Wexford medical staff were familiar with William Samples, and familiar with his substance use disorders; his history of mental illness; his previous prescriptions for antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and antidepressants; and his likelihood of withdrawal from alcohol and other substances, and his previous suicide ideations while incarcerated,” the complaint states. “At no time did Wexford ever obtain outside medical records for Mr. Samples.”
Samples was evaluated by LPN Sophia Salisbury, and he reported heroin, opiates, amphetamine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and fentanyl abuse during the intake process, also admitting he would go through detox. The complaint says Samples denied suicidal ideation, but his inmate file and Wexford medical records that were available to Defendants reflect his history of suicidal thoughts and mental health issues.
The estate says Wexford’s intake evaluators did not perform a mental health screening for Samples, did not make a referral for a mental health screening, did not request outside medical records and did not obtain or request a psychiatric evaluation.
Baldera prescribed Samples medications to address substance withdrawal symptoms. Those included acetaminophen, bentyl, clonidine, folic acid, loperamide, Maalox and multivitamins.
“The reasonably prudent medical and mental health professional would recognize these medications heighten depression and anxiety and suicide risk,” the complaint states. “Baldera did not conduct a mental health screening, failed to provide a mental health assessment and failed to refer Mr. Samples for psychiatric evaluation.”
The complaint also says the medical records show Wexford and Baldera did not perform the required Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale assessments, vital checks and safety/detox checks. It says he also wasn’t placed on a suicide watch, and medical providers never requested or conducted a mental health screening or referred him for psychiatric evaluation.
“The reasonably prudent health provider would have recognized that all these factors necessitated an urgent referral to a mental health provider, yet this went unnoticed and unaddressed by the defendants,” the complaint states.
On March 12, 2023, Samples was found hanging from an upper bunk. His autopsy lists the cause of death of asphyxia due to hanging.
The estate accuses Wexford and Baldera of medical negligence; Wexford of negligent training and supervision; the DCR, Thompson and the unnamed corrections officers of deliberate indifference to clearly established laws; Thompson of failure to train and supervise; and the DCR of vicarious liability.
The estate is being represented by diTrapano, Amanda J. Davis and Charles F. Bellomy of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston, by W. Jesse Forbes and Jennifer N. Taylor of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston and by Michael J. Del Guidice of Ciccarello Del Guidice & Lafon in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-322