Family Suing Over Teen Son's Death in Psychiatric Hospital
Austin choked on his own vomit but the medical examiner also classified the crime a homicide.
DeKALB County, Ga. -- The parents of a 19-year-old with autism who died while in the care of a psychiatric hospital for children are fighting for justice.
Austin Skidmore died Nov. twenty, 2016 during an incident with staff at the facility.
Skidmore's parents are suing Laurel Heights, just this isn't the commencement time the hospital has been in the news.
11Alive has reported on other incidents there in the past and concerned parents have been messaging us for months.
The solar day Austin died, a 911 telephone call came in from Laurel Heights hospital. Inside, Austin was on the ground and non breathing.
"What'due south going on at that place, ma'am," asked the dispatcher.
"Aye, could yous send them now? Nosotros have a child that's non animate," the caller at Laurel Heights said.
"Exercise you need CPR instructions," asked the dispatcher.
The caller declined and said they merely needed an ambulance. The dispatcher confirmed it was coming only information technology was also tardily. No one could save him.
The medical examiner called it at 1:54 p.one thousand. Austin choked on his own vomit but the medical examiner also classified the crime a homicide.
"Unfortunately, it appears to the states instead of acting to de-escalate things, they actually escalated things," said Skidmore family unit attorney Scott Campbell of the Shiver Hamilton law firm.
Exactly a year later on, Skidmore'southward parents are pointing the finger at Laurel Heights, the DeKalb County hospital paid to treat kids with severe psychiatric issues.
"I think there was a sense of kind of anger - especially when you hear from the experts in the field that say this is not how this is supposed to be washed and this is absolutely preventable," Campbell said.
They're suing Laurel Heights for wrongful death.
"We recollect the failures hither are multi-pronged," Campbell said.
In a detailed report 11Alive obtained from the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), Laurel Heights was non in compliance with state regulations.
"It was determined that the facility used a transmission hold in a manner that would potentially impair the patient's ability to breathe resulting in the death of the patient," the investigation went on to say.
DCH reviewed video of the incident between Austin and the staff.
TIMELINE: Austin Skidmore's last moments
According to the written report, at 12:eleven p.one thousand., Austin was struggling with a staff member outside his room.
A infinitesimal afterwards, at 12:12 p.m., a staff fellow member straddles Austin, sitting on his midsection.
Five minutes afterwards, at 12:17 p.g., some other staff member is seen sitting on Austin's back. He'due south face up-down, struggling while his arms are held higher up his head.
Iii minutes later, at 12:20 p.m., the staff member got off Austin's back and flipped him over. He appeared to be unconscious.
The staff member looked to be yelling and others were seen running. The 911 call followed.
"Ma'am, speak to the ambulance. What's the name of the hospital," asked the dispatcher.
"Information technology's Laurel Heights hospital," said the caller.
DCH interviewed and reviewed the surveillance video with the person who trains Laurel Heights staff in physical restraints, holds, and de-escalation.
In the written report, the director of recreation therapy said staff members should never accept straddled or saturday on Skidmore's dorsum and he should not take been face-down.
"The needs of the patient get lost and the providers don't equip their employees with the tools and the training they demand to bargain with the chore and the challenges they are going to face twenty-four hours to day," said the family'south attorney.
A few weeks before Austin'southward death, a 12-twelvemonth-old daughter was burned.
Campbell was also the lawyer in that case. He and the girl'southward female parent both said she was left lone in the shower. That case has since been resolved.
Attorney Mel Hewitt is likewise representing a family suing Laurel Heights for employee negligence.
The mother claims her 12-twelvemonth-former boy was sexually assaulted past another boy in July of 2016.
"He told me that he was trying to tell a staff member and the staff member told him to go back to bed," said the declared victim's mother.
"They know they've got kids at that place with bug and they're simply non being watched or this wouldn't accept happened," Hewitt.
11Alive discovered through open records requests that, in 2014, the hospital was and then far out of compliance it nearly lost its Medicare affiliation. In 2015, it was warned for improperly restraining patients.
11Alive contacted Laurel Heights attorneys. They would non comment on these lawsuits specifically, but nosotros did review their court-filed response to the Skidmore lawsuit.
They believe hospital staff rendered appropriate medical care and handling to Austin.
His parents said he was well-loved and hope that his their lawsuit volition bring meaning to his senseless death.
"It is our hope that his tragic expiry volition lead to accountability and meaningful changes that prevent whatsoever similar time to come tragedies from occurring at Laurel Heights or elsewhere," the family said in a argument to 11Alive.
DCH documents prove Laurel Heights fired one employee involved in Austin's example.
Ii others were suspended pending the results of the investigation. Simply 11Alive does non know what ultimately happened to them.
According to the DCH documents, Laurel Heights changed some of its policies and procedures. It besides retrained and re-educated staff.
Source: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/holding-powerful-accountable/family-suing-over-teen-sons-death-in-psychiatric-hospital/85-499825458
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