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Wrongful Death Suit Filed After Son Commits Suicide In Jail
A boy was in the Hillsborough County Jail in Manchester when he took his own life in his cell. According to the boy's mother, the boy was pushed over the edge by the abuse from guards.
Sarah Vath filed the suit last month naming the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections as the defendant accused of being involved in the wrongful death of her 30-year old son, Dana Vath. Dana committed suicide on October 16th.
Vath was in the jail after he was found guilty of assaulting his parents. He had served half of his sentence when he killed himself.
According to the lawsuit, guards entered Vath's cell and struck him under the chin on October 15th, 2002. Immediately following the first striking, more guards entered the cell and beat him until he was on the floor.
Sarah Vath is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from the jail and she simply has named the officers, 'John Does'.
The lawsuit also claims that Vath was forced into another cell where he underwent more abuse from guards who were 'malicious and sadistic' in their treatment of the prisoner. Vath reportedly asked for mental health treatment as well but was denied.
The lawsuit claims that he should have been given medical treatment and also placed under observation. Dana Vath should have been removed from his unit because the holes in the top bunk were a large suicide risk.
Officers discovered Vath's body the next day at around 7:24 p.m. The boy had used his bed sheets to hang himself from the upper bunk holes.
According to a spokesperson for the jail, there was no reason to believe that Vath needed special attention and observation.
The supervisor of the jail, O'Mara, was also named in the lawsuit. There have been many lawsuits filed against the Valley Street guards in the last couple of years as a result of prisoner abuse.
One such case involved 41-year-old Brian Armstrong who was in jail for simply not paying child support. His family filed a lawsuit after he died of head injuries he sustained while in the institution. Hillsborough County settled that lawsuit for $65,000, which was placed in trust for Armstrong's then-9-year-old son.
The timing of the filing of the Vath lawsuit corresponds to the state's three-year statute of limitation which sets a timeframe in which you can file a wrongful death claim.
Vath was sentenced to serve time at the jail because of many episodes that occurred between him and his parents, Sarah and Dion Sr. Police arrested him after they responded to a domestic disturbance call at the family home in Leisure Acres Mobile Home Park.
His mother had called the police after he had kicked a table and broken a door.
Although Vath was not charged with assault, he was instructed to not return home. On October 18th, he broke that instruction and police were called to the scene. He was taken before a judge and he pleaded guilty to criminal trespassing.
According to police reports, an incident on March 10, 2002, occurred in which Dana Vath fought with officers after they responded to a call from his mother. She had asked him to leave her house and called the police when he refused.