CHARLESTON – A man says jail and medical staff were negligent in treating his diabetes and hip fracture while he was incarcerated.
Scotty Huffman filed his complaint April 12 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Wexford Health Sources Inc. and West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Another instance of gross negligence and deliberate indifference in the care of an inmate with a serious medical condition,” attorney L. Dante diTrapano told The West Virginia Record.
diTrapano
Huffman was arrested April 23, 2022, and placed in custody of the WVDCR at Western Regional Jail in Cabell County and entered into a health care provider/patient relationship with Wexford. During his intake screening, Huffman told medical staff he was diabetic, and it was included in the notes.
Later that day, Huffman’s eyes were swollen and told medical staff he recently had been treated for diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a serious complication of diabetes that can be life-threatening.
The following day, Huffman’s medical notes said he fell over in a “very stiff motion” during a check and screamed that his hip was dislocated. The pain continued the next day, according to the complaint, and his medical notes said one leg was shorter than the other. An X-ray of his hip was ordered. The X-ray showed Huffman had suffered a fractured hip.
More than 60 hours after he told staff he was diabetic and “more than a full day after his fall and reported hip pain, plaintiff was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center for emergency care,” the complaint states.
Huffman accuses Wexford of medical negligence, negligent training and negligent supervision and accuses WVDCR of negligence, deliberate indifference and negligent training.
He seeks compensatory damages for past and future pain, suffering, mental anguish, healthcare expenses, diminished household services, lost earnings and earning capacity. He also seeks punitive damages from Wexford, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
Huffman is being represented by Anthony I. Werner of John & Werner Law Offices in Wheeling, diTrapano and Amanda Davis of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston and Jesse Forbes and Amanda Taylor of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 24-C-446
