Woman neglected in jail went blind, begged for water before dying in Texas, lawsuit says [View all]

A woman was in dire need of help and hospitalization while in a “medical observation” cell, but the pretrial detainee was neglected by guards and staff in a Texas jail, according to a federal lawsuit.

Help came “too late” for Holly Barlow-Austin, who died on June 17, 2019, after spending two months at Bi-State Justice Center in Texarkana, Texas, the lawsuit says. Jail staff is accused of causing her death.

Barlow-Austin, who entered jail at 46 with HIV, was denied her prescription medications, rapidly deteriorated and went blind, and begged staff for water while detained in “deplorable and inhumane conditions,” an amended complaint filed in federal court says.

Now, Barlow-Austin’s family has been awarded $7 million in a “historic” lawsuit settlement, before the case was set to go to trial, according to an April 27 news release from civil rights law firm Budge & Heipt PLLC based in Seattle. The firm’s attorneys Erik Heipt and Edwin Budge and Texarkana attorney David Carter represented Barlow-Austin’s mother and husband in the case.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-neglected-jail-went-blind-144611795.html