JONESBORO — The family of 23-year-old college student and psychiatric patient Darryl Fussell II has filed a lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center and other facilities, alleging they failed to protect their son after he was killed by police in April.
According to the complaint, Fussell’s parents took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed as schizophrenic for the first time.
Because he admitted that he was at risk of harming himself and others, Fussell was involuntarily committed for a psychiatric admission to Riverwoods Behavioral Health on April 10.
Two days later, Fussell was found non-responsive at Riverwoods but his vital signs were stable.
He was non-emergently transported to the non-emergent section of SRMC’s emergency room.
“Riverwoods Behavioral Health failed to inform SMRC that Mr. Fussell was an involuntary psychiatric patient, potentially suicidal and homicidal, who was at risk for elopement,” a statement from the Cochran Law Firm read.
The complaint contends that Fussell was admitted on April 13 at 8:30 a.m. to SRMC for evaluation of his heart and lungs and was placed in a non-secure unit.
Allegedly, only after speaking with his parents in the afternoon, did SRMC learn that Mr. Fussell was involuntarily committed to Riverwoods and at risk for self-harm and harm to others.
At 2 p.m., SRMC assigned a one-on-one sitter for Mr. Fussell. He subsequently refused an MRI and walked away from the sitter, down four flights of stairs and was allowed to leave the facility.
The complaint alleges that hospital security wasn’t notified nor was a hospital “lockdown” initiated.
According to the Cochran Law Firm, Fussell’s parents drove to SRMC and looked for their son at the hospital and in the surrounding Riverdale area. Several hours later, unbeknownst to the Fussells, their son wandered into a…
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