Wrongful Death Suit Filed Against Tulsa County Jail Mental Health Provider

The estate of a Tulsa County jail inmate who died after a suicide attempt last March filed a wrongful death suit on Monday.

Nathan Bradshaw's estate cited negligence by Tulsa County jail's contracted mental health care provider, Armor Correctional Health Services, Inc.

According to the suit, Bradshaw was booked into the jail on March 8, 2016.  In a screening by Armor personnel Bradshaw told a licensed practical nurse he was a daily heroin user and had received treatment for bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, the lawsuit states. 

The estate says he was taken to a cell and placed on an "Opiate Detox Prevention Protocol" due to his heroin use.

3/17/2016 Related Story: Acting Tulsa County Sheriff Says Inmate Died In Hospital Days After Suicide Attempt

The suit says a physician ordered a four-day Clonidine prescription for Bradshaw under that protocol but he didn't receive the medication as prescribed.

In the suit, jail records show Bradshaw requested to talk to someone from mental health on his third day behind bars, but jail records show no one responded to that request. 

The note stated: "I need to speak to someone in Mental Health. My anxiety is unbearable and has kept me from sleeping and caused me to pace around restlessly and hear things," the lawsuit states.

Jail records show the evening before Bradshaw was found unresponsive and hanging in his jail cell, jail staff had not checked on him until the early hours of March 13th.  The suit says Nathan Bradshaw, who was 32, died three days later after he was taken the OSU Regional Medical Center.

The estate claims the inconsistent treatment of the detox protocol led to Bradshaw's increased risk of suicide and eventual death.