.svg)
Attorney Rikki Dascal obtained a $4M settlement on behalf of a 38-year-old inmate detained at Rikers Island who devastatingly mutilated himself and removed both of his eyes while undergoing a mental health crisis. Our client displayed clear warning signs that he needed help, but Rikers Island personnel failed to properly attend to his needs, leaving him in an extremely vulnerable state.
When our client arrived at Rikers Island, he was referred for a mental health evaluation per the facility’s protocol due to a self-reported history of anxiety and depression. Alarmingly, there was no indication that the assessment ever occurred, and within two hours of his arrival, our client regrettably attempted suicide in his cell. Our client’s suicide attempt was a clear indication of his extremely fragile mental state, and he should have immediately received proper care.
Unfortunately, Rikers Island personnel did not perform a thorough review of our client’s symptoms and negligently determined that he did not need follow-up care. As a result, our client was discharged to solitary confinement rather than 24-hour supervision, which further put him at risk of harming himself.
Unfortunately, while our client was in the cell, he became increasingly anxious, which was evident to Rikers Island personal as he was seen pacing all night on surveillance footage. The footage also shows that our client spoke with a correctional officer who was standing outside of his cell; the correctional officer failed to attend to our client in his heightened mental state.
During the hours that our client was left alone, without any meaningful supervision or contact, his mental state exponentially worsened. Eventually, our client began to mutilate himself by jabbing his eyes with a plastic spoon, which was negligently left in his cell. Our client continued to injury himself for nearly an hour, until he completely removed both of his eyes from their sockets. Alarmingly, video footage shows numerous correctional officers approaching our client’s cell to observe him, but none of the officers attended to our client. The gruesome incident prompted international and federal investigations.
Attorney Rikki Dascal successfully proved that the defendants had countless opportunities to intervene and prevent further injury to our client. As a result of their negligence and deliberate indifference, our client was left in distress for hours and is now permanently blind.
