Medical Staff At Atlanta Jail Sued For Autistic Teen’s Death

The NaphCare medical providers at Fulton County Jail are being sued alongside the facility for their alleged negligence that led to the death of Shane Kendall, an autistic 19-year-old inmate.

The family of Shane Kendall is suing the medical staff at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta for his death inside the facility. Kendall is said to have suffered from multiple mental health problems, as the family alleges he should never been placed in the notorious jail.

According to The Appeal, Kendall was tried as an adult for fatally shooting his adoptive mother at 15, then transitioning to the Fulton County Prison at the age of 18 despite his family’s claims of severe mental disability. While inside the prison, he died at 19. His family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the medical staff, provided by NaphCare, claiming they were negligent in reviving him from an alleged suicide attempt. Others named in the suit were the medical providers in charge, employees at the Sheriff’s Office, Fulton County, and its sheriff.

According to the court documents obtained by the website, a NaphCare medical provider refused to perform CPR due to her bad knee after arriving at the scene. The incident reports detailed that one officer was “alarmed” by her unwillingness to perform the lifesaving action, as an additional provider who arrived over 10 minutes later seemed “disorientated” as well.

However, NaphCare has denied any fault on their end for Kendall’s death, subsequently asking for the case to be dismissed. The for-profit medical company has had other complaints in the past regarding negligent care toward unwell inmates. Despite being sued over 300 times for their actions, Fulton County commissioners recently voted to renew its contract with the company in November, paying Naphcare over $33 million through the end of next year.

However, Kendall’s family is adamant about seeking justice for the 19-year-old and others who have been alleged victims of inept care just because of their status in society.

“It’s not just about Shane. There are so many lives in there,” shared Margie Thorpe, the deceased teen’s stepmom.

“The fact that we still contract with this medical company to take care of these people or not take care of them is a crime.”