Neglect & Inadequate Healthcare in South Carolina Prisons a Rampant Problem, Says Bell Legal Group; Another Verdict In Favor Of Inmate Denied Medical Treatment.

GEORGETOWN, S.C. -- A Clarendon County, South Carolina jury on Tuesday evening returned a verdict of $825,000 dollars in actual damages against the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Attorneys J. Edward Bell, III and C. Carter Elliott, Jr., of the Bell Legal Group, Georgetown, South Carolina and Sam Floyd and Ashley Boyd of Kingstree, South Carolina, represented inmate, Jason Bynum, in the negligence claim regarding the lack of appropriate and timely medical care while battling a life threatening infection during incarceration at the Turbeville Correctional Center, Turbeville, South Carolina.

This verdict follows a recent Sumter County, South Carolina case whose verdict awarded $28.5 million to the family of Rev. Ronel Huggins, who died in prison resulting from diabetic shock and medical neglect from the prison's healthcare provider. The Bell Legal Group is currently serving as counsel in two similar cases regarding healthcare neglect and police misconduct which are currently being tried.

January 9th, 2002, while in the custody of the Turbeville Correctional Center, Mr. Bynum was seen in the infirmary and diagnosed with a very serious mouth infection of the lower floor of his mouth. Beginning as an abscessed tooth, the untreated infection had progressed to Ludwig's Angina, which without immediate medical care can lead to death by suffocation due to a swelling of the throat. According to plaintiff's counsel, Edward Bell of the Bell Legal Group, his painful and serious condition had been noted by nurses, but ignored by prison management and doctors.

After a couple of weeks of suffering, Mr. Bynum complained of breathing troubles and was admitted to the hospital on January 23rd. The infection had continued to rage in his upper body, filling his lungs up to 90% with pus. According to Carter Elliott, head of the Police and Jail Misconduct Division for the Bell Legal Group, hospital doctors where appalled with the inhumane treatment of Bynum and one expert witness, a professor at a Maryland Medical School, identified this case as the worst example of medical neglect he had seen in his entire career.

Following multiple surgeries and several weeks in the hospital on a ventilator, Mr. Bynum still suffers from nerve damage, a speech impediment and problems swallowing food and drinks as a result of his mistreated infection.

Mr. J. Edward Bell, III was assisted in this case by C. Carter Elliott, Jr. and Vanessa A. Richardson of the Bell Legal Group of Georgetown, South Carolina and Sam Floyd and Ashley Boyd of Jenkinson, Jarrett and Kellahan of Kingstree, South Carolina. For more information about this verdict, contact J. Edward Bell, III or Rachel Ridgeway of the Law Offices of J. Edward Bell at 843-546-2408 or visit www.belllegalgroup.com.

About the Bell Legal Group LLC 

The attorneys and staff of the Bell Legal Group focus on select and challenging areas of law and bring 25 years litigation experience. To successfully litigate the large scale cases for which the Bell Legal Group has become known for, the firm offers its own unique reserve of capitol, resources and state of the art technology. Leaving no stone unturned while pursuing justice, the firm has built its reputation concentrating in the areas of automotive defect, medical malpractice, nursing home litigation, personal injury litigation and police misconduct cases. For more information on the Bell Legal Group LLC call 877-546-2408 or visit www.belllegalgroup.com.