Mom: Late son’s medical needs ignored, mocked by jail staff

CHARLESTON – The mother of a Cabell County man says her son’s medical needs were ignored and even mocked before his death in jail.

Avery Pace, as administratrix of the estate of Cameron P. Bradley, filed her complaint November 21 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation as well as Wexford Health Sources, which provides professional health care services to inmates in custody of the WVDCR, including the Western Regional Jail in Cabell County.

“Sadly, this is another in a line of cases involving shocking allegations in West Virginia’s jail system,” attorney Jesse Forbes told The West Virginia Record. “As the complaint details, this includes ignoring a young man’s desperate medical condition over several weeks, mocking the victim, and then shackling him in a jail van instead of calling for a desperately needed ambulance as the life fled from his body.”

Another attorney representing the estate agreed.

“As the complaint alleges, the lack of care provided to Cameron by Wexford and the jail staff is the epitome of gross negligence and deliberate indifference,” L. Dante diTrapano told The Record. “Based on the allegations contained in the Complaint, had anyone working at Western Regional Jail that dealt with Cameron used even a modicum of appropriate medical knowledge or common sense, this young man would be alive today.”

Bradley, who was 31 at the time, was incarcerated at Western Regional Jail on January 5, 2024, and was given a medical screening by Wexford staffers. When he presented to the medical unit, Bradley complained of shortness of breath, throat pain, chest pain and a chemical taste in his mouth.

Instead of trying to help Bradley, the complaint claims LPN Amanda Simmons instead mocked him.

“Patient presented to medical for ‘chest pain,’” the complaint quotes Simmons’ notes. “This nurse walked into the room and asked where the pain was located, and the patient started pointing to his throat. This nurse educated the patient on the correct anatomy of body parts. Again, the patient stated that he was having chest pain and pointed to his throat.”

The complaint says Simmons insinuated Bradley was unable to differentiate between his throat and chest.

“I know there is something bad wrong,” Bradley replied, according to the complaint.

He did not receive medical treatment that day. Five days later, he again sought medical help for chest pain and a breathing treatment, records show. Notes by LPN Erica Brooks note “exaggerated, heavy breathing,” and Bradley told her he had been using a ventilator three days prior to arriving at the WRJ. Again, records show Bradley was not provided medical treatment.

On January 19, 2024, Bradley again sought medical attention for chest pain and shortness of breath. His blood pressure was 128/76, and his pulse rate was 103 BPM. His oxygen saturation was down to 97.2%. Simmons told him to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, and Bradley told her he couldn’t do so.

“Bradley pleaded to see a doctor and for transportation to a hospital,” the complaint states. “Simmons advised that there was no reason for Mr. Bradley to be sent to the hospital.”

That afternoon, medical staff were called to Bradley’s pod. He told RN Vonetta Ware he felt as if he was going to pass out. A chest x-ray was ordered, and Bradley was moved to the medical unit for housing and observation.

The next day, he again complained of shortness of breath to jail medical staff.

“Patient then started with adventitious sounds from throat,” Ware wrote in her notes.

The following day, he was noted as standing in his cell with a blanket draped over his head and singing loudly “obviously suffering due to his health conditions,” the complaint states, adding Bradley told staffers he thought he might have a collapsed lung.

“From the time of his admission to WRJ on January 5, 2024, until January 22, 2024, a physician did not see, assess, or treat Mr. Bradley,” the complaint states. “Dr. Joye Martin finally met with Mr. Bradley on January 22, 2024.

“Dr. Martin’s notes for Mr. Bradley reflect a history of drug overdose and need for intubation. Dr. Martin’s notes further reflect Mr. Bradley’s prior complaints of lung issues. Dr. Martin’s notes show ‘guppy breathing’ that ‘seems to go away when he is alone and does not think anyone is watching him.’”

Bradley also complained to Martin of a painful raw cough that produced yellowish sputum, and the doctor notes a possible case of acute bronchitis.

“Bradley was still not transported to a hospital and EMTs and paramedics were not called on this date,” the complaint states. “Instead, although presenting with all of these continued symptoms of a medical emergency, Mr. Bradley’s condition was ignored and downplayed by the medical staff and Dr. Martin.”

On January 24, 2024, Bradley told APRN-C Crystal Fitz he could “feel something moving in my chest” when breathing. The notes reflect a “guttural moaning sound.” But Fitz told Bradley he soon would going to be released into the jail’s general population soon.

Bradley said he felt “

28. On January 26, 2024, Mr. Bradley sent a text message to his girlfriend stating that he felt “like my chest is full of hot blood and its like fillig [sic] my lung up,” and he told her he was “having a fucking heart attack in my jail cell alone.”

Around this time, Bradley’s mother (the plaintiff) also told jail staff about his need for medical care.

“Despite these communications, Mr. Bradley’s worsening health condition was ignored by WVDCR employees and agents and Wexford employees and agents,” the complaint states. “It was obvious to not only medical staff but also to the WVDCR employees, staff, guards and agents that Mr. Bradley’s conditions were worsening before their eyes and they did not call for emergency medical care during his time at WRJ and instead ignored his serious medical needs allowing his condition to continue to worsen and ultimately leading to his suffering and needless death.”

Bradley also messaged his sister in the jail eMessage program asking her to “call the commissioner s office please now,” because he was “in bad shape.”

On January 26, 2024, Bradley again went to medical staff complaining of shortness of breath. His blood pressure was 140/90, and his heart rate was 104. Simmons then noted Bradley was medically cleared to return to population in the jail.

Two days later, he again presented to medical staff with shortness of breath, inability to lie flat, issues breathing and difficulty sleeping. His blood pressure was 164/82, his heart rate was 128 and his oxygen saturation rate fluctuated between 92-96%. Notes show the on-call physician was notified, who said Bradley should be seen at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

But despite these worsening medical conditions and the history of symptoms and problems, the complaint says no ambulance, paramedics or EMTs were called to help Bradley. Instead, WVDCR jail staff tried to transport him on the floor of a general purpose jail transport van.

“Tragically, but predicably given the known serious medical conditions that were being ignored by the WVDCR employees and agents and the Wexford employees and agents, while being transported, by jail van from the WRJ to SMMC, without proper medical stabilization which would have been available in an ambulance, Mr. Bradley became pulseless and apneic, his breathing slowing and stopping and his heart stopping,” the complaints states. “The WVDCR staff, despite observing these further worsening conditions, ignored the same and did not call for an ambulance. Instead, they continued driving the jail van with the tragically sick Mr. Bradley in the back desperately needing life-saving medical care that they had the ability to provide but nevertheless deliberately ignored.

“The WVDCR employees and agents also had the ability and should have been trained to render first aid under such conditions but failed to properly do so, instead, choosing to ignore the dying man in the rear of the van.”

Bradley arrived at SMMC unresponsive. Hospital staff worked to revive him by performing chest compressions for about 30 minutes and administering two doses of Narcan and other medications.

After 31 minutes, SMMC staff detected a pulse. Bradley was treated for a few days in an effort to revive him, but no brain activity was reflected on the morning of January 31, 2024. That didn’t change all day. Family decided that evening to remove him from medical care because he was effectively brain dead.

Bradley was pronounced dead February 2, 2024, a day before his 32nd birthday. His cause of death was listed as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a brain injury caused by the lack of blood and oxygen flow to the brain.

“Agents and employees of Wexford and the WVDCR, ignoring the obvious serious medical needs of Mr. Bradley, and failing to do their jobs, consciously disregarded Mr. Bradley’s medical concerns for weeks while his condition deteriorated and then failed to act appropriately as he his medical crisis continued to worsen until the blood and oxygen flow to his brain was cut off,” the complaint states. “Immediate life saving measures were readily available to both WVDCR staff and Wexford staff, but they ignored Mr. Bradley’s serious medical needs and did not provide those life saving measures, allowing him to worsen and die.

“Apparently believing Mr. Bradley’s health concerns to be exaggerated, superfluous, or otherwise a fabrication, or for other reasons, agents and employees of Wexford mocked and belittled Mr. Bradley while he was attempting to obtain the medical attention he desperately needed.”

DiTrapano says it’s clear Bradley needed medical care for serious health problems.

“He begged for that care, but his pleas were ignored,” diTrapano said. “Our civil justice system exists to provide accountability for such wrongs, but, unfortunately, this family is left with a devastating void that will be felt forever. However, by pursuing such justice through this action the hope is this type of senseless tragedy doesn’t occur again.”

Forbes called the facts of the case “disturbing” with “no place in a civilized society.”

“When jail guards and medical staff treat someone in the ways described in this complaint, it erodes confidence in the system,” Forbes said. “By pursuing civil justice and demanding accountability, this brave family is shining a light on an epidemic of problems and hopefully making things safer for the next son or daughter that enters our jail system.” 

The estate accuses the WVDCR of deliberate indifference to clearly established laws and negligence. It accuses Wexford of medical negligence, negligent training and negligent supervision.

It seeks compensatory damages for Bradley’s pain, suffering and emotional distress up to his death as well as sorrow, mental anguish and solace for his survivors, including society, companionship, comfort, guidance, kindly offices and advice as well as compensation for expected loss of income and expenses for care, treatment and hospitalization and funeral expenses.

The estate also seeks punitive damages, general damages, special damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, attorney fees, court costs and other relief.

The estate is being represented by Forbes, Jennifer Taylor and Michael Heidenreich of Forbes Law Offices in Charleston; by diTrapano, Amanda Davis and Charles Bellomy of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston; and by Ronald N. Walters Jr. of Walters Law Firm in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie Webster.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-1398