Joseph Foster
Joseph Foster, 51, was held at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island in New York City. His brother, Wendell Pittman, said he misses laughing with him at family get-togethers, and a former colleague at the Doe Fund, where Joseph worked as a driver, called him a great guy. On December 30, 2017, he complained of a severe headache and numbness on his left side and asked for help, and his family says it took nearly an hour before he was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died five days later. The Medical Examiner's office gave the cause as a large bleed on the brain, and his family and their lawyer, Josh Kelner, say that proper medical care would have saved him; New York City agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle their lawsuit.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The New York City Medical Examiner attributed his death to a large brain bleed (pontine hemorrhage), while his family and their lawyer say jail staff waited nearly an hour after he repeatedly asked for medical help and that proper care would have saved him.
Reported by: New York City Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); his family and their lawyer Josh Kelner, in their lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family, represented by lawyer Josh Kelner, sued New York City over alleged neglect, and the city agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle the lawsuit.