WARREN, Maine (AP) - The father of a man who died at a Maine State Prison in Warren has alleged in a wrongful death lawsuit that his son’s health care provider failed to properly treat him.
According to the complaint, Andrew Leighton, 51, sought medical attention five times between July 31, 2018, and when he was found unresponsive in his cell on Oct. 1, 2018.
According to the complaint, on Sept. 30, Leighton told a nurse that he was having difficulty breathing and could not lie flat due to a lump in this throat the size of a golf ball that blocked his airway. He said he had not slept in days and requested to be admitted for monitoring. The nurse refused.
Thomas Leighton, 79, is suing Wellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, seeking unspecified damages for medical expenses, funeral expenses, conscious pain and suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life, Bangor Daily News reported.
Wellpath is a for-profit company that has provided medical and dental care in state prisons since 2012. A 2019 CNN investigation found that Wellpath - the nations largest for-profit provider of healthcare for correctional facilities - provided poor-quality care that led to preventable deaths.
The lawsuit alleges that Wellpath was negligent in treating Andrew Leighton’s infection.
A spokesperson for Wellpath did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
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