Donald Johnson
Donald Johnson, 68, had chronic high blood pressure and diabetes. He was held in the jail in Savannah, Georgia, where reports said his blood pressure checks lapsed in the weeks before he died. He was found in distress on November 13, 2014, and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The official cause of death was hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries, described as heart disease. His family said his death was not sudden, and his daughter, Rochon Johnson Small, said she thinks often about how he may have suffered; the family said a lawsuit over his care was dismissed on the statute of limitations.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The official cause was coronary artery disease, while his family says the death was not sudden and a lawsuit over his care, which alleged lapsed blood pressure checks, was dismissed on statute of limitations grounds.
Reported by: official cause; his family.
Lawsuit: His family sued over his medical care in Chatham County, and the lawsuit was dismissed on the statute of limitations, with no payment reported.