Woman With Brain Bleed Left on Jail Floor for 24 hours without Medical Care
A Washington State Patrol trooper mistook a woman's life-threatening brain bleed for intoxication, arresting her on suspicion of drunken driving and booking her into the Thurston County Jail, where officers mocked her as she lay on a cell floor for a day before receiving medical attention, a lawsuit claims.
Once at a hospital, in critical condition, doctors removed a large piece of Nicole McClure's skull to relieve the pressure building inside her brain from a frontal-lobe subdural hematoma, according to a federal civil-rights lawsuit filed in Tacoma. She now has permanent disabilities.
"Had Nicole received immediate medical attention, her condition would have been significantly easier to treat and the outcome far less severe."
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According to the pleadings, dash-camera video and State Patrol arrest reports, Trooper Jonathan Barnes tried to stop McClure the evening of March 21, 2022, after he noticed her driving too slowly and wandering from her lane of travel. McClure, then 38, had left work early after complaining of a headache and dizziness and was headed home, according to the pleadings.
Barnes flashed his emergency lights to initiate a stop, however McClure didn't respond and continued driving slowly until she collided with a traffic roundabout, disabling her car, the lawsuit said.
Dash-camera video shows Barnes rush up with his gun drawn and pointed at McClure, yelling for her to get out of the car. Barnes then roughly pushes her onto the hood of his cruiser and struggles to handcuff her while accusing her of eluding police.
Barnes took her to the Thurston County Jail, where the lawsuit alleges she was passed over for medical attention for more than 24 hours.
"She was left with a notably deteriorating condition and continuing to ask for help," Vankirk said. "Nicole recalls being laughed at and told she should 'Have another shot,'" which she took as a taunting reference to the belief that she was drunk, not sick.
According to the lawsuit, McClure was left lying on the floor.
"She was found in a puddle of her own urine ... almost a full day later" Vankirk said. The jail responded by having two employees help her onto a cot, leaving her a clean jumper "although she was unable to stand."
When McClure began vomiting uncontrollably, she was moved to another cell and "forcibly changed" by another employee, Vankirk said.
"A few hours later, a member of the jail's medical team was called, and they advised that she be taken to the hospital immediately," according to the pleadings.
McClure underwent emergency brain surgery the day after her arrest, with surgeons removing a large piece of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain "and save her remaining brain function," according to Vankirk, who said McClure was hospitalized for 17 days.
The symptoms get worse over time. They include:
* Headache
* One-sided weakness
* Vomiting
* Seizures
* Decreased level of consciousness
* Neck stiffness
* Intracranial pressure
* Poor respond to commands
* Disturbed vision
What Happens in Brain hemorrhage? | Symptoms, Causes and Treatment (3d animation) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6QJ-qJXnZc)
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