Midlands inmate died after paramedics trapped in prison lift
Darragh Mc Donagh
A 26-year-old inmate who attempted suicide in his cell was delayed getting to hospital when paramedics who were carrying him on a stretcher got trapped in an elevator at the Midlands Prison, an investigation has found.
The prisoner was rushed to Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise after the electrical fault that caused the problem was resolved, but he was pronounced dead less than 15 minutes after arrival.
Medical intervention had already been delayed because prison staff had failed to respond to the call system activated by the inmate for 38 minutes before he was discovered unresponsive in his cell.
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) said it appeared that the call from the inmate’s cell had been accepted by someone in the class office, but nobody responded for over half an hour.
The OIP received a letter signed by 50 of the deceased’s fellow inmates, attributing blame for his death on a named prison officer, who they claimed had ignored warnings that he was at risk of suicide.
A cellmate told the investigation that the man had told this prison officer that he was “going to kill himself” just over a week before his death, and had asked to be placed in a padded cell.
He said the man had put a flag around his neck during this conversation, and claimed that the prison officer told him to go back to his cell in a dismissive, uncaring manner. Statements from prison staff contradicted this account.
The investigation report noted that the 26-year-old man had been serving cumulative sentences of just under five years at the time of his death on July 17th, 2023. He was due to be released on August 2nd, 2025.
His family told investigators that they did not believe he would intentionally self-harm, and his sister had spoken to him by phone on the day he died, having had no concern for his well-being at that time.
His cellmate also described him as being in “great form” when they played video games together on the afternoon of July 17th.
When doors were unlocked for recreation time around 2.10pm, he chose to stay in his cell to phone his brother.
When a prison officer was unlocking doors to allow inmates to return to their cells around 3.30pm, he noticed that a call light was flashing red. He attempted to enter the cell, but there was a mattress placed against the door.
When he got inside, the prison officer found the inmate suspended from a bunkbed with a ligature around his neck, which had been fashioned from a flag and some items of clothing.
He raised the alarm, and the man was placed in the recovery position. Two doctors and nursing staff arrived at the cell around 3.38pm and began CPR. They described the man’s face as “blue and swollen”, and could not find a pulse.
Paramedics arrived around 3.54pm and attempted to remove the man to an ambulance on a stretcher, but became trapped in an elevator when an electrical switch tripped. They were freed after around five minutes and continued to Midlands Regional Hospital, where the man was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The OIP recommended that a standard operating procedure should be formulated by the Irish Prison Service regarding cell call notifications, and a suicide prevention policy and strategy should be developed.
A standard operating procedure should also be developed regarding the removal of incapacitated persons from cells, and prison officers should be reminded of their obligations to ensure that equipment is in good order.
