A 24-year-old woman who was taken by ambulance to a Denver area hospital and was then sent to jail for drunk driving bled to death in her jail cell just 20 hours after she was booked. Emily Rae Rice cried for help for hours in the Denver City Jail before she died, but deputies and nurses said she did not appear to be in grave condition. The young woman was booked on February 18, 2006 after a car crash. She was taken to the medical center where she was examined and then released to be taken to jail.
A woman who shared a cell with Rice, Nicole Casada, told investigators that Rice was making strange noises and said that she could not move her legs. Her cries for help were ignored by jail officials, and she bled to death internally 20 hours after she was booked. Her autopsy revealed that she had a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver.
A nurse at the jail, Kelly Costin, reported that “the patient had no complaints about any injuries and repeated to me that she just did not want to go through the rest of the intake process.” Sheriff’s Deputy Juliana Barron reported that “Miss Rice was in the process of having her picture taken at the book desk and I recall looking over and seeing her lying on the floor. Nurse Kelly was standing over her and telling her repeatedly to get up and that nothing was wrong, that she was just being dramatic.”
The woman’s family has filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court seeking damages from the city and count of Denver and Denver Health Medical Center.
If you or a loved one has suffered or die as a result of medical malpractice in Philadelphia or elsewhere in Pennsylvania, please contact the Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Pennsylvania Pomerantz, Perlberger & Lewis.
