Kurt Platzer
Kurt Platzer, 32, of Warren, Ohio, was a graphic designer who worked hard, and his family hoped a stay at the Trumbull County Jail would give him a chance at sobriety. He died in June 2009 after going into severe alcohol withdrawal while held at the jail. The coroner attributed his death to blunt trauma to the head and brain, most likely from a fall during acute withdrawal, and the death investigation raised the possibility of criminal negligence. A federal lawsuit says he had repeated seizures and bleeding that the jail physician did not personally treat or send to a hospital, and that an officer used a Taser on him before he stopped breathing. The family's case was settled in 2012.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner ruled blunt head trauma from a fall during acute alcohol withdrawal, while his family's federal lawsuit says jail staff ignored repeated seizures and bleeding and an officer used a Taser on him before he stopped breathing.
Reported by: Trumbull County coroner (medical examiner or coroner); his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued in federal court over his death and settled the case in 2012, with no amount reported.