Lawsuit: Former inmate says Lorain County jail incident left him with broken neck
LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – A former Lorain County inmate is asking a court to award him $40 million after he says a corrections officer slammed his head into a wall, damaging his spine.
The incident was captured on video and was first uncovered by the FOX 8 I-Team in July.
“This is one of the most blatant and outrageous uses of excessive force that we have seen,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Nicholas DiCello.
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Attorneys for Jeffrey Fry held a news conference Tuesday afternoon, saying he deserves $40 million for what he says a corrections officer did to him inside the Lorain County jail.
“Who clearly hip checks Jeff while his hands are cuffed behind his back into a cement block and glass wall and you can imagine the kind of wall we’re talking about at a jail facility. There’s no give in that wall and Jeff was just put face first into it,” said DiCello.
Fry’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday morning.
They claim a corrections officer slammed his head into a wall, knocking him unconscious and injuring his spinal cord.
“This group is now called back into the jail and you can just see a little bit of how light-hearted everyone is, smiling, laughing while Jeff is outside with a broken neck,” said DiCello.
The surveillance video shows jail officials dragging Fry into a booking room.
“Jeff can’t stand up, he can’t control his arms because he’s got a fractured neck at this point, which is confirmed when he finally gets to the hospital,” DiCello said.
The lawsuit also claims Fry’s neck was never stabilized as he was pulled up onto the stretcher and taken to the hospital.
“I have decent use of my right arm, my left arm, my shoulder is dislocated from the complications. I wasn’t able to move my arms and I’m still paralyzed probably 80% in my arms. I can’t dress myself and I can feed myself finally,” said Fry.
According to Fry’s attorney, he had been arrested on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant and never tried to get away. He had been transferred to the jail by an Elyria police officer.
The corrections officer involved was given a written reprimand for being “misleading in his report.”
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Attorney DiCello says he has no problem asking for $40 million in damages.
“You’re talking about the most fundamental rights that we all have and you see what happened to Jeff under these circumstances and what he’s going to live with the rest of his life. We think it’s a reasonable number,” DiCello said.
The Lorain County Sheriff’s department told us they are not commenting on the case. FOX 8 has not heard a response from Elyria police or Lifecare Ambulance.
The FBI is investigating the incident and Fry’s attorneys say the corrections officer remains on the job, but not directly handling inmates.
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