Cook County, IL

Cook County, IL: (Apr-18-07) The Cook County Board approved a $950,000 payout to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Marie O'Donnell-Smith, who died in jail after her pleas for medical assistance allegedly went unheeded. The suit claimed that a nurse who worked for the Cook County Jail's Cermak Health Services told O'Donnell-Smith that she would have to crawl to the dispensary after she had collapsed to the floor hours before her death in 2002. She and a second nurse allegedly pinched and pulled O'Donnell-Smith's legs and arms as she lay on the floor. Sources alleged that O'Donnell-Smith, 38, was a heroin addict and was suffering withdrawal symptoms a day after she was arrested for shoplifting. Though she was given some non specific drugs, she was sent back to her cell without further treatment. The settlement agreement includes the county paying out $950,000 without admitting liability. Earlier, the sheriff's office agreed to pay $50,000, bringing the total amount to $1 million. [CHICAGO FLAME: JAIL INMATE DEATH]

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Published on Apr-24-07