Injured inmate in vegetative state (Florida)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sat, Jul. 23, 2005

JACKSONVILLE


Injured inmate in vegetative state

A mother demands answers from police about how her son received the severe injuries that have incapacitated him.


JACKSONVILLE - (AP) -- The mother of a jail inmate is seeking answers from police on how her son received a head injury that left him in a persistent vegetative state, the injury allegedly happening during a trip to the hospital after he fought with guards. Ginger Laughon and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and say they may sue if they do not learn how her son, John Laughon, 39, suffered the head injury, nine broken ribs and collapsed lungs. He was serving time for marijuana possession.
(snip)

Ginger Laughon said her son had a history of violent seizures and that his aggression may have been a result of him not receiving the medicine he took to control them. She said she gave the medicine to jail officials but her son told her he was not receiving it.

Cronin said records show that on Feb. 22, officers in the Duval County Jail placed John Laughon in a restraining chair for attacking an officer. The chair has straps that hold the inmate's arms and legs.About 2:20 a.m., an officer found Laughon -- who had a history of violent seizures -- out of the restraints. A police report said Laughon charged the officer, slamming him into a door and knocking him down before attacking a second officer. Other officers were called to help restrain Laughon.

Police say Laughon was taken to Shands Jacksonville hospital for treatment of minor injuries and a mental evaluation. When Laughon arrived , an emergency room nurse found that he was not breathing, had no pulse and was cold to the touch. After he was resuscitated, tests showed he had nine broken ribs, two punctured lungs and a closed head injury.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/12202971.htm
(Free registration required)

[scarletlib]

1. so, will jebbie fight for his 'right to life' like he did for terri

schiavo or demand a full investigation of how this happened? or since this is just a poor, politically unconnected guy will he just ignore the whole thing? hmmmm?

[liberaliraqvet26]

2. Did Bill Frist diagnose him?

[liberaliraqvet26]

3. Did Bill Frist diagnose him?

[Must_B_Free]

4. johnsfight.org already taken?

[malaise]

5. Too sad n/t

[Endangered Specie]

6. Im sure Congress will pass a law for him

:sarcasm:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. Proof that the war on drugs is succeeding.

marijuana possession?
and he ends up brain damaged?

[area51]

15. Welcome.

Welcome to DU, antifaschits.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

16. welcome to DU

whish this was a more light hearted thread to say hi with

[wli]

20. you misunderstand its purpose

It's to corner the market by force and boost up prison populations for the prison-industrial complex.

[havocmom]

23. yep. States compete to get contracts for labor for their prisoners

and the private sector is building more prisons all the time. Some things don't work as well outsources. Some major hotels were using prisoners for reservation call center labor. Don't know if that is still going on, but ya might wanna think about it as you read off the # on your credit card to book lodging for that vacation get-away.

[Vitruvius]

28. Yup -- SLAVERY is alive & well in the USA.

Lock 'em up & put 'em to work. Innocent or guilty -- who cares? What matters is PROFIT.

As long as it's profitable to lock people up, the prisons will be FULL.

[joemurphy]

8. He's not vegetating, he's just fast asleep!

[kestrel91316]

19. Yep, he has conversations daily ............

[alarimer]

9. Why the hell wouldn't they give him his meds?

That's just stupid and criminal in my opinion. I guess so they could beat on him instead???

[TroubleMan]

18. That's really common for jails, unfortunately

County jails are notorious for this. Federal penitentiaries and state prisons are good at getting medicine to their occupants, but jails really suck at it.

In the Prince William County jail in Virginia, I saw a guy die from a heart attack in the next cell block over. He was in our block a week earlier, and he was complaining that they had stopped his medication because of an error in the paperwork. He was in his 60's, so it's not like he was faking that he had heart problems. I think his family sued the jail later, but I don't know what happened with that.

It ashame to die because of a clerical error.

[alarimer]

24. I have heard some things about our county jails too

Off topic, I even got a collect phone call from someone at the jail. Have no idea who it might have been as I hung up on the operator. But it was fairly creepy.

[TroubleMan]

25. The thing is that the standards vary so widely from county to county

It's not that I've been in a bunch of them (only 2), but after being in one and seeing what goes on, I've become sort of an advocate for prisoner's rights.

County jails tend to have the least funding and basically tend to suck the most to be in. Sometimes they are way too overcrowded and understaffed.

[DanCa]

10. Here we go again

But at least it would be fitting if that slime Hannity did his show behind prison walls..

[undeterred]

11. Where's Jeb to fight for him?

[undeterred]

12. Are you calling Florida a "vegetative state"?

:evilgrin:

[NNN0LHI]

13. Shouldn't Jeb be there sponging his mouth right now? n/t

[Ilsa]

14. This is a fear I have for my oldest son.

That for some reason, he'll miss a dose of what he needs to help him manage his behavior and become physical and his muscle tension will be mistaken for rage. I fear he'll be subdued with extreme force like this.

I hope the family sues the pants off these people and it is all over the front page.

Bastards.

[realFedUp]

17. Patricia Heaton and the Feminists for Life heading down there?

:shrug:

[VegasWolf]

21. You definitely do not want to be a vegetable in Florida. nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. unless you hold elected office?

Any bets on this guy's skin color? and how quickly this story drops from MSM attention?

Anyone else sick of the Aruba story, the trash-bride runaway, or any other story about a missing blonde bombshell female? Obviously those are much more important than bombs in Beirut, bombs in Egypt, bombs in Iraq, bombs in London, bombs in India, bombs in Pakistan, bombs in where ever.

[daleo]

26. Is he a cute white woman?

If so, no expense will be spared. Even trailer hitch Jesus will be pulled to the site. Otherwise...

[SoCalDem]

27. An acquaintance's step-son died in custody.

He was apparently "under the influence of something", and was acting "erratic" .. Cops came and took him to the local hospital for observation..they checked him out, and released him to the cops. They locked him up, and he was dead by morning.

He had marks on his body,but the police attributed it to the way he "struggled"..

Had they left him to "sleep it off" he might be alive today, he was 22.