Lawsuit: WVDCR finds Southern Regional Jail staff berated dying inmate, didn’t get medical help for him
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A man who died while in custody of Southern Regional Jail on March 14, 2022, did not receive medical clearance to be admitted to the jail, and his medical care was withheld, resulting in his death, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of West Virginia.
The suit was filed on Thursday by attorneys Stephen New, Paul Roop and Mark Staum, on behalf of Richard Wriston, the father of Richard “Ricky” Wriston.
The lawsuit also alleges an internal investigation by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation showed jail staff failed to prevent Wriston from injuring himself, and that jail staff, including the on-duty shift commander, were overheard using obscene language and making “inappropriate/unprofessional comments to or about” the victim, apparently while he was alive and in need of medical attention.
According to the lawsuit, Wriston “should not have been admitted to SRJ and should have been transported to a hospital for immediate medical care.”
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The lawsuit names West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and former WVDCR officials, former West Virginia Department of Homeland Security officials, former Southern Regional Jail superintendent Michael Francis, five Southern Regional Jail guards, as individuals, and five Prime Care Medical employees, along with “Jane Doe” PrimeCare employees, as defendants.
PrimeCare Medical is the parent company of the now-bankrupt PrimeCare of WV, which WVDCR contracted in 2022 to provide medical services to those incarcerated in state facilities.
Ricky Wriston, 45, was taken to Southern Regional Jail on March 13, 2022, after having just left a treatment program for addiction, his father reported earlier.
Wriston, a father of five, was the nephew of West Virginia Secretary of Transportation Jimmy Wriston.
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According to earlier statements by Wriston’s father, Wriston went to a Harper Road hotel and reportedly abused substances early on March 13.
Beckley Police Department officers charged Wriston with obstructing an officer for not being able to comply with officers’ orders while inebriated, attorney Roop stated, and for public intoxication and indecent exposure.
According to the lawsuit, Wriston was unable to stand for a search when being admitted to the jail.
A Prime Care worker, whom the lawsuit alleges had no medical training, was unable to take Wriston’s vital signs and was reportedly unsure of whether to admit him to the jail on March 13, around 4:15 a.m.
The lawsuit alleged Wriston was placed in a booking cell, where he began hitting his head forcefully on the wall, moving erratically, “flopping” on the floor and “flailing.”
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The lawsuit alleges SRJ guards did not seek medical help but, after more than an hour later, they allegedly placed him in a restraint chair, where he was left for five hours.
He had severe abrasions to his wrists and ankles due to flailing his arms and legs, according to the lawsuit, but Prime Care staff nor guards arranged for medical treatment of the wounds.
Wriston allegedly continued to flail after being returned to the holding cell, and a corrections officer allegedly told other officers the smell of blood was in Wriston’s cell.
Other officers noted there was “blood everywhere” in the cell.
None of them sought medical treatment for him, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges a Prime Care worker who had allegedly been present when Wriston was brought into the jail again tried to take Wriston’s vital signs around 7 p.m. on March 13 but was allegedly unable to do so, because of his erratic movements. She allegedly notified other Prime Care staff that he needed transport to an emergency room for evaluation.
Around 7:13 p.m., according to the lawsuit, one of the SRJ officers looked at Wriston’s mouth and noted that Wriston appeared “dehydrated,” and had not eaten or drank anything since being brought to booking.
After allegedly not being able to find Wriston’s pulse at 7:25 p.m. during a medical check, staff allegedly began CPR and administered Narcan twice.
A SRJ central control officer called for an ambulance at 7:28 p.m., according to the lawsuit.
JanCare personnel arrived at 7:47 p.m. and allegedly judged Wriston to be nonresponsive, not breathing and cold.
At 10:07 p.m., according to the lawsuit, when Wriston had no heartbeat, and his blood pressure was “zero,” he was taken to Beckley ARH Hospital.
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The lawsuit alleges the SRJ officer sent with Wriston had minimal knowledge of his history and could not assist health care workers in providing information so Wriston could be provided with informed care.
Wriston was allegedly admitted to the ICU at around 1 a.m. on March 14, where medical staff ruled he had a variety of medical conditions, including cardiac arrest, kidney failure and high potassium levels.
He died at around 1:07 a.m., according to the lawsuit.
An autopsy showed Wriston died of a lack of blood and oxygen to his brain, with blunt force trauma as a contributing factor.
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