Jail medical neglect led to Nevada man’s amputation, lawsuit alleges

A Nevada man has filed a federal lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County Detention Center medical staff, and Wellpath LLC, the jail's contracted medical provider, alleging deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs resulted in the amputation of his right leg. The complaint, filed Friday in District Court, accuses the defendants of negligent hiring, training, supervision, and retention of employees.

According to the lawsuit, Brian Haney was booked into the jail on Oct. 23, 2024, with a known, documented, and already infected right-leg injury. His medical history included vascular issues, blood infections, and prior surgery on the leg from a 2022 motor vehicle accident. Just weeks before his arrest, he had been hospitalized at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center for a wound infection and cellulitis and was told he might require a below-the-knee amputation.

The complaint states that over the course of a month, Haney submitted several medical requests, writing that his "leg is bleeding like pudding," that he could barely walk, and was "in extreme pain." The lawsuit alleges staff treated the worsening condition with only over-the-counter remedies such as acetaminophen and triple antibiotic ointment, and that one written plea for help was marked "duplicate."

By the time Haney was rushed to the hospital in the early morning hours with his leg bleeding onto the floor of his housing unit, the infection had progressed too far. Surgeons amputated his right leg above the knee on Nov. 25, 2024. Haney remained hospitalized until Dec. 2 before being returned to the jail; his underlying criminal case was later dismissed.

Attorneys for Haney wrote in the complaint, "Mr. Haney did not lose his leg to an accident. He lost it to indifference." The lawsuit seeks more than $15,000 for each of four claims. Metro declined to comment on the pending litigation, and Wellpath did not respond to a request for comment.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal