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| Young Inmate Died for Lack of Proper Health Care, Lawsuit Alleges |
| By Ashville Citizen Times |
| Published: 10/14/2002 |
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Allegations of abuse that led to the death of an asthmatic 18-year-old have arisen against North Carolina's Department of Corrections which is responsible for incarcerating young offenders. The parents of Headson Ortego Blake Jr. have filed a federal lawsuit in Asheville alleging that officials within the N.C. Department of Corrections are responsible for their son's May 2000 death. The death resulted from asthma-related complications, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit calls for $1 million to be paid to Blake's estate, but the action is not about financial payment, said mother Bertha Blake. Its focus lies in three words, she stressed. According to the lawsuit, Blake underwent a medical examination when he entered the Western Youth Institution. That check-up noted that Blake used an Albuterol inhaler to control his asthma and he was allergic to pollen, dust and chemicals. Department of Corrections officials denied Blake proper medical care stemming from those conditions, the lawsuit alleges. According to the action, Blake began having health problems the day before his death. On May 2, 2000, Blake was assigned to a work crew at the state Department of Transportation office in Morganton. When he learned he would be mowing grass, Blake requested his inhaler, but was not allowed to return to the dorm to retrieve it. That night he told an official at the institute his inhaler had run out. He was told he would have to wait until the next morning for more medication. The next morning, Blake was assigned to cleaning tables and mopping the floor using 'strong-smelling cleaning chemicals.' When he told a supervising Department of Transportation employee that he felt ill, Blake was told to keep working. Blake later told another inmate that his medication had run out. Back at his dorm about 4 p.m., Blake told a Western Youth Institution official that he needed medicine. He was told he would have to wait for two hours. The lawsuit alleges that about 5:30 p.m., Blake began having 'an acute, full-blown asthma attack.' It accuses officials of failing to offer assistance to Blake and states that other inmates carried him outside for fresh air. 'At some point after the inmates carried Headson back inside,' the lawsuit states, 'he began foaming at the mouth and coughing up blood and was unable to talk.' About 6:30 p.m., ambulance crews were called and prison officials began performing CPR on Blake. After emergency personnel arrived, they noted that he vomited and lost control of both bladder and bowels. Hospital personnel pronounced him dead at 7:59 p.m. |
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For years I have wondered if anyone was every held responsible for this. I slept on the bunk beside Blake in B dorm outback at the Morganton highrise. Everything the lawsuit alleges is absolutley true! It leaves out that the correctional officer on duty at the time was also playing cards when we took him outside. He had been trying to get his inhaler for 2 days. I was also on D.O.T. with him and I believe they made him clean up because they thought he was faking. I became pretty good friends with Blake. He was a real genuine person who talked about nothing but getting home to his new child. Because of NCDOC he never got to do that. I always knew they were covering up, because the majority(maybe even all) of the dorm was shipped out within weeks. Unheard of at WYI! I commented on this beacause this situation has had a profound effect on my life. I was 19 when this happened. I am now 31 and still have a problem dealing with how it makes me feel. There are so many issues that come into play here(racism, hate, apathy...etc) that we may never know why this was allowed to happen. I just hope his kids know he was a good person. We all make mistakes, some of us get caught up in them some of us don't, but nobody deserves to die because of someone elses mistakes. Since I never really got a chance I am sending my condolences to his family. I can't imagine the effect this has had on your lives. Just know he helped a lot of people keep a smile on their face when they wasnt much to smile about. And he will not be forgotten! R.I.P. Headson Blake see you when I get there! ONE