Woman sues detention center alleging negligence in handling pain complaints
A woman who was jailed at the Clark County Detention Center in August last year is suing its medical providers for negligence, alleging they failed to properly address her repeated complaints of abdominal pain.
Five days after her first complaint of pain, she was rushed to University Medical Center for emergency surgery and suffered “permanent and traumatic injuries,” according to a civil lawsuit filed Aug. 5 in District Court.
Ashley Aaron is suing NaphCare, the detention center’s health care provider, for medical malpractice after its staff failed to diagnose her perforated ulcer.
Aaron was in custody Aug. 7, 2015, before a trial in which she faced charges of felony child abuse or neglect and misdemeanor domestic battery, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.
About 1 p.m. that day, Aaron complained to medical staff at the detention center that she had severe stomach and pelvic pain. Medical staff gave her medication for a urinary tract infection and constipation, failing to perform timely, diagnostic lab tests, the complaint reads.
On Aug. 9, 2015, Aaron told medical staff at the jail that she was in “so much pain that she felt like she wanted to die” and that her pain was so severe she’d rather die than tolerate it, the lawsuit alleges.
Instead of heeding her complaints and conducting an abdominal exam, staff “falsely stated that Ms. Aaron was suicidal” and deemed her a suicide risk, according to the lawsuit.
Becky Christensen, a nurse practitioner employed by NaphCare and one of seven medical providers named as defendants in the lawsuit, noted later on that date that Aaron’s family called the detention center and reported Aaron had called them complaining about being denied medical care and needing to go to the hospital.
Aaron “has been clearly manipulating for release and has since been placed on 405 status,” Christensen is quoted in the civil complaint. The jail uses the code “405” to indicate an inmate is suicidal. Medical staff also claimed Aaron was malingering, or exaggerating her pain.
Doctor Raymond Mondorra; physician assistants Eric Lopez, Daniel Komro and Danielle Miller; and nurse practitioners Krystal Carey and Tiffany Russaw also are listed as defendants in the case.
On Aug. 12, 2015, five days after Aaron first complained of stomach pain, she was taken to University Medical Center and “underwent life-saving emergency surgery,” the lawsuit reads. She was clammy and so pale that her skin was described as “gray in color,” the complaint notes.
“As a result of Defendants’ breach of the standard of care, Ms. Aaron suffered a serious medical problem that leads to high complication and mortality rates,” the complaint claims. “Ms. Aaron was required to undergo emergency surgery and spend over two weeks in ICU as a direct result.”
A spokesman for NaphCare said Tuesday that the company hadn’t been served with the lawsuit and didn’t have a comment without seeing the allegations.
Cal Potter III, Aaron’s attorney, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find @lauxkimber on Twitter.
