Martin Harrison Sr.
Martin Harrison was a father, and his son said of him, "He wasn't a bad person, you know," while his children pursued the case for years. Harrison was held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California, and died at Valley Care Hospital on August 18, 2010, and a coroner's report, as quoted by KQED, listed cardiac arrest following excessive physical exertion, multiple blunt injuries and Taser use. The family's attorney, Michael Haddad, says deputies punched, kicked and shocked him with Tasers, and that Harrison told a vocational nurse at intake that he was an alcoholic in withdrawal but did not get proper medical care. Corizon Health disputes that he disclosed alcoholism, and the family's lawsuit alleged a nurse failed to properly classify him at intake. The county and Corizon agreed to an $8.3 million settlement in 2015, which required Corizon to stop assigning vocational nurses to jails and prisons.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner's report, as quoted by KQED, attributes the death to cardiac arrest after exertion, blunt injuries and Tasering, while the family's lawsuit says deputies beat, kicked and tased him and that a nurse failed to classify him properly at intake despite his alcohol withdrawal and repeated requests for treatment.
Reported by: coroner's report (as quoted by KQED) (medical examiner or coroner); family's civil rights lawsuit (family or their lawyers); attorney Michael Haddad (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued Alameda County and Corizon Health, and the county and Corizon agreed to an $8.3 million settlement in 2015.