This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lindsey Goggin didn't dodge questions about her drug use when she arrived at the Salt Lake County jail in August 2010.
The 25-year-old's addiction to heroin and cocaine had landed her behind bars before and she had again racked up felonies related to possessing drugs.
As Goggin underwent a mandatory health exam upon her latest arrival at jail, she told a nurse she'd been using two grams of heroin a day.
Five days later, Goggin was found dead in her jail cell.
Now, Goggin's parents, Natalie Marie Stevenson and Dennis Michael Goggin, are suing the Salt Lake County jail and several medical professionals charged with managing their daughter's care for wrongful death and civil rights violations after the Utah Medical Examiner ruled the woman's death was the result of severe dehydration from vomiting while in heroin withdrawal.
The lawsuit, filed this month in U.S. District Court, alleges that jailers deliberately ignored Goggin's medical needs — even after she told medical staff, "I can't breath. I am throwing up and my heart is beating out of my chest," according to court documents.
"Repeatedly over the five-day period, defendants were deliberately indifferent to Lindsey Goggin's medical needs," the lawsuit states.
Lt. Pamela Lofgreen, a spokeswoman for the jail, said Tuesday that the county generally does not comment on pending litigation.
"We feel strongly that our staff acted appropriately in response to this incident, making every life-saving effort to prevent the unfortunate death of Ms. Goggin. Due to this case entering litigation, we are unable to provide additional comment at this time," Lofgreen said.
According to the lawsuit, after Goggin admitted her drug use to the jail nurse during booking on Aug. 11, 2010, she was flagged as at-risk for withdrawal from heroin, meaning jail medical staff would monitor her as she detoxed from drugs in her cell.
Goggin was placed in quarantine for two days as she vomited and experienced other withdrawal symptoms, the lawsuit states.
Medical staff provided Goggin with Gatorade on Aug. 12, but a day later, Goggin's withdrawal had become so overwhelming that she filled out a "sick call request form," telling jail staff that she couldn't breathe or stop throwing up.
A nurse made an appointment for Goggin to visit a doctor. Meanwhile, Goggin was moved out of quarantine and into a general population cell with another inmate, the lawsuit states.
A doctor prescribed Goggin anti-nausea medication, but Goggin continued to vomit every 15 minutes and was unable to eat. On Aug. 15, Goggin completed another "sick call request form," telling jail staff, "I still can't eat or drink anything without violently throwing up. I don't have the same heart problem but it still feels faster than it should," the lawsuit states.
Medical staff gave Goggin more Gatorade and also admitted her to the jail's medical unit, according to the lawsuit. Goggin walked from her cell to the medical unit, where she was put in a holding cell. Doctors continued rounds and later, when a nurse checked on Goggin, she was not breathing on the cell's floor, the lawsuit states.
Jail staff tried to resuscitate Goggin for 23 minutes, but didn't immediately call for emergency transportation, according to the lawsuit. Goggin was later brought to St. Mark's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Salt Lake County, Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder; Salt Lake County jail Commander Rollin Cook; Wellcon Inc., the company that is the health care provider in the jail; Dr. Russell Vinik, a doctor contracted with the jail; Carol Kelsch, a nurse employed by the jail; Dr. Eric Lindley, a doctor contracted by the jail; Julie Evans, a nurse employed by the jail; Elizabeth Hardy, a nurse employed by the jail; Kristyn Smith, a nurse employed by the jail; and Dr. Todd Wilcom, a doctor contracted by the jail.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages. It claims Goggin's Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated because the jail failed to provide her with proper care and did not train employees to oversee inmates' health care needs.
The case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Paul Warner.
Goggin's stepbrother, Connor Milne, said Tuesday that his step-sister's death was difficult for the family.
Milne, a 19-year-old college student, shared Goggin's story on a website he created, beafriend.net. Milne designed the website as a forum for people to share stories and learn from each other, he said.
Milne said Goggin was attending Westminster College, but became involved with drugs during her junior year along with her boyfriend. The family tried to support Goggin as she entered rehab, but she couldn't shake her addiction, Milne said. They watched as Goggin lost weight and feared she would die on the path she was headed.
Goggin's family was devastated to learn she had died in jail, he said.
"It was tragic," Milne said. "Drugs took over her life."
Twitter: @mrogers_trib —
Lawsuit is second related to an inmate's death
Salt Lake County recently settled a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died of starvation and dehydration at the county jail.
The family of Carlos Umana, a 19-year-old who dropped from 175 pounds to 77 pounds after four months of incarceration, sued the jail last year.
Umana's family said he suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and had gone off his medication before his arrest on Oct. 27, 2010. Umana stabbed his mother's boyfriend in the back with a small kitchen knife at their home in Magna because he believed the boyfriend was trying to poison him, family said. Prosecutors charged Umana with attempted murder, and he was awaiting trial at the jail when he died in February 2010.
A Jan. 20, 2011 investigator's report said that jail staff moved Umana out of the general population and into a cell in the health services unit so he could be kept under more intense observation. Umana remained in that unit until his death. Documents state a nurse told a sheriff's investigator after Umana's death that Umana "persistently denied all medical calls and treatments." The nurse also said the medical staff was concerned because Umana had not been eating or drinking "for several days." Two prisoners in the health services unit also said he had not been eating regularly.
A guard told an investigator that staff was to meet the day of Umana's death to decide whether to force-feed him.
A review by jail staff after Umana's death recommended staff be better trained to "recognize and report health conditions that may pose imminent threat to prisoner safety." The review also said mental and physical problems in inmates must be better documented.