Pubdate: Thu, 03 Oct 2013
Source: Herald, The (Everett, WA)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Authors: Diana Hefley and Scott North
Page: A1

$10M CLAIM IN JAIL DEATH

A Mukilteo Man Died After an Allergic Reaction, and a Suit Says the 
County Is to Blame for Ignoring His Pleas for Medical Help.

EVERETT - A $10 million claim for damages was filed this week by the 
mother of a Mukilteo man who died in the Snohomish County Jail last 
year after an allergic reaction to the breakfast he was served.

This is the second multimillion-dollar claim filed this year related 
to a death at the jail. In addition, a third family has hired an 
attorney to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 
mentally ill man inside the county lock-up.

Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary recently began implementing 
changes after an audit of the jail's operating and medical services 
made numerous recommendations. A second report digging deeper into 
the jail's medical operations is expected soon.

The most recent claim alleges that Michael Saffioti, 22, pleaded for 
medical attention for about half an hour before he collapsed in his 
cell. Seattle attorney James Rogers said his firm plans a detailed 
investigation into the young man's July 3, 2012, death. He also 
promised in a press release to probe what he contends was "the 
county's systemic failure to provide adequate medical care" to Saffioti.

A claim for damages typically is filed as the first step in a civil lawsuit.

Saffioti's severe allergies were known to corrections officials, and 
in fact were so extreme that the city of Lynnwood had determined that 
they could not be adequately addressed in its jail, the claim says. 
Saffioti was serving time in the county jail for a misdemeanor 
marijuana offense in Lynnwood.

The claim says that Saffioti was placed in a unit where inmates get 
closer supervision for mental health problems and other issues, but 
it was not a medical unit.

Among other things, Saffioti was allergic to dairy products. Even so, 
he was not placed on a list of inmates who received specially 
prepared meals, nor was he provided with a dairy-free breakfast, the 
claim alleges.

He began having problems within minutes of being served breakfast, 
just after 6 a.m. Saffioti asked for a nurse. His condition 
deteriorated over the next half hour, but paramedics weren't summoned 
until after he had already collapsed in his cell. He was dead before 
8 a.m. Saffioti had surrendered to Lynnwood police the day before on 
a misdemeanor warrant for marijuana possession. He brought with him 
to the jail a bag of medications needed to control severe food 
allergies and respiratory problems that he'd lived with since he was a child.

Saffioti died from bronchial asthma, according to the medical 
examiner. A severe allergic reaction to milk products was listed as a 
contributing factor, initially.

Among inmates, Saffioti had been nicknamed "Bubble Boy" during a 
previous incarceration because his food had to be separately prepared 
and wrapped in plastic to avoid trace contaminants.

In 2008, Saffioti, then 17, was given an alternative sentence for 
minor offenses that required outpatient drug treatment but spared him 
a six-day term inside a juvenile facility because of his respiratory 
problems. At the time, a doctor wrote a letter saying Saffioti had 
"multiple potential life-threatening chronic illnesses, objectively 
documented," which required environmental controls unlikely to be 
found behind bars.

The claim lists several jail inmates as potential witnesses. Since 
Saffioti's death, several made statements about what they saw happen 
behind bars. One man claimed Saffioti was allowed access to his 
inhaler after reporting breathing problems but that it was taken away 
from him. The inmate also said Saffioti was accused of faking his symptoms.

Another inmate said he saw a corrections officer turn off the 
emergency alarm Saffioti was pressing because he became annoyed.

In January, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe announced 
that he wouldn't be filing any criminal charges in connection with 
the Mukilteo man's death.

Saffioti is among the eight people who have died at the jail since 2010.

A $10 million wrongful death claim was filed in March on behalf of 
Lyndsey Lason. That claim alleges that the 27-year-old woman's death 
could have been prevented if staff had provided timely and adequate 
medical attention to Lason. The Everett mother died from a pulmonary 
infection in 2011.

Her chest was found to contain more than three liters of pus that 
partially collapsed her lungs, according to documents Everett 
attorney Royce Ferguson filed along with the damage claim.

Also in March, when County Executive John Lovick was still sheriff, 
he asked the National Institute of Corrections, a branch of the 
federal Department of Justice, to offer advice on operations and 
medical services at the jail.

Experts from Miami-Dade County in Florida and Nashville, Tenn., 
visited the jail and returned last month to complete their 
observations and make recommendations.

Shortly after being appointed sheriff in July, Trenary sought another 
perspective. He asked the Pierce County Sheriff's Office to examine 
medical operations at the 1,200-bed jail in Everett. That county has 
been wrestling with similar jail challenges.

Trenary has since hired a part-time doctor and announced other 
proposed changes at the jail, including hiring more nurses and mental 
health professionals, moving from paper to electronic medical 
records, and more closely screening inmates before they're booked into the jail.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom