ʻHe was supposed to be safe thereʼ: Akron man sues private prison, state authorities over death of his brother—Cleveland.com
An Akron man accused prison officials Friday of failing to provide basic medical care for his brother, who died of pneumonia in his cell a day after seeking treatment.
Don McCann filed the wrongful-death lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Columbus that alleged officials prevented his brother, James, from getting help in the last hours of his life. James McCann was serving a 41⁄2-year sentence out of Summit County when he died May 12, 2019.
“He was supposed to be safe there,” Don McCann, the administrator of his brother’s estate, said in an interview. “He struggled with opioid addiction, and we knew he would be off the streets, getting help. They didn’t do their jobs.”
His attorney, Peter Pattakos, agreed “It is beyond failing to do a job. It is supposed to be a rehabilitation system, a correctional system.”