Steven Galack
Steven Galack, 46, was a home remodeling business owner whose ex-wife Kristin said he had overcome a painkiller addiction and could come back from mistakes; his son Jordan spoke to him by phone every day. In July 2012 he was being transported to Ohio in a private extradition van run by Prisoner Transportation Services when he became confused and ill. Some prisoners said a guard told them to beat him in Georgia, while the company said he was hurt in a fall, and the guards said they first saw his injuries in Tennessee. The medical examiner did not believe his injuries caused his death and classified the cause as undetermined, and his family later settled with the company.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed). The medical examiner found the cause undetermined and did not link his injuries to his death, while prisoners said a guard told them to beat him in Georgia and the company said he was hurt in a fall.
Reported by: medical examiner or coroner; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); Prisoner Transportation Services (the agency that held him); other prisoners on the van.
Lawsuit: His family later settled with Prisoner Transportation Services, the private company that operated the extradition van, over his death.