Tracie Weaver
Tracie Weaver was 43 years old. In June 2016 she was held at the Washington County Jail in southern Alabama when she became very sick, with dangerously high blood pressure that got worse over several days. A lawsuit later alleged that jail officials spent a long time discussing who would pay for her care and arranged to release her on a medical furlough before driving her to a hospital only about a mile and a half away. Doctors found she was having a severe stroke, and she died the next day, June 21. Her family sued, and the case was settled in 2019.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The state autopsy report attributes her death to a massive cerebral hemorrhage (stroke), but her family's lawsuit says jail staff delayed sending her to a hospital while discussing who would pay for her care and talked of a medical furlough.
Reported by: state autopsy report; Tracie Weaver's family lawsuit (family or their lawyers); reporter Connor Sheets (reporters).
Lawsuit: Her family sued over her death, and the case settled in 2019, though no settlement amount is reported.
News reports (4)
- These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills
- An Inmate Needed Emergency Medical Help. The Jail’s Response: See if She Has Insurance.
- Jail Inmate Died After Staff Debated Who Would Pay Medical Bill: Lawsuit
- How “medical bond” can have fatal consequences for someone in jail