The Frontier: Doctors Testify Williams' Death In Jail Was Preventable

This is an abridged version of a story written by our partner, The Frontier. You can read the full version on their website.

Elliott Williams’ death unquestionably could have been prevented if he would have received the proper medical care, a medical expert testified Friday.

“There’s no question in my mind that his death could have been prevented,” said Dr. Zee Khan, a Tulsa-based spinal surgeon. Khan’s testimony came during the eighth day of testimony during a civil trial over Williams’ 2011 death in the jail.

An autopsy determined Williams likely died from complications of a broken neck and also had a pattern of dehydration.

Khan said it’s likely the injury worsened and Williams either suffocated or had a heart attack.

Two medical experts brought by the plaintiffs testified Friday morning on the eighth day of a civil trial in federal court on the quality of health care Williams received while he was in Tulsa’s jail.

Both experts said they believe Williams death could have easily been avoided if he received adequate medical care.

Khan, the first expert to take the stand, testified about how Williams might have broken his neck and became paralyzed.

Exactly how Williams broke his neck is unclear. An Owasso police officer slammed Williams to the floor by his head and neck in the jail’s booking area.

Another inmate said he believed Williams rammed his head into his cell door. However, defense attorney Dan Smolen has questioned why that claim did not surface until two months after Williams’ death, Oct. 27, 2011.

Williams might have been predisposed to a more serious neck injury as a result of Owasso police slamming him on the ground, but that action was unlikely to cause Williams’ paralysis, Khan said.

The fact that Williams stood up and walked after the incident indicates his spinal cord wasn’t damaged, he said.

After being put in the holding cell where Williams was said to have rammed his head into the door, he was unable to move.

When asked whether Khan understood how Williams was removed from holding cell No. 10, Khan said Williams was taken out on a gurney, which was “absolutely not appropriate.”

Williams’ neck and spine should have been stabilized to prevent further injury, Khan said. Jail staff should have been alerted to the possibility of a spinal injury when they found Williams had defecated on himself.

Records and testimony indicate jail staff called a medical emergency when they found Williams in the cell. Khan said upon first seeing the emergency called he was pleased until he learned it was only signaled because Williams had defecated and urinated on himself and not as a result of his injury.

Khan said upon first seeing the emergency called he was pleased until he learned it was only signaled because Williams had defecated and urinated on himself and was not as a result of his injury.

After he was found, Williams was dumped off of the gurney and into a shower by Capt. Tommy Fike and Sgt. Doug Hinshaw, causing his head to strike the concrete floor, according to records and testimony.

Khan was critical of how Williams was put into the shower because it was another example of Williams’ head and neck not being stabilized.

“If someone has a broken leg, you don’t let it flop around,” Khan said. He said a broken neck is the same.

Asked whether he believed Williams being dragged into a medical cell on a suicide blanket was appropriate, Khan said no.