Posted Thursday, March 13, 2008
An inmate mistakenly exposed to blood-borne diseases died Wednesday, months after his initial complaints of abdominal pain were ignored, his family says.
"If I die, it's because of the prison," Duane J. Williams said just before he died, according to his brother.
In 2006, a prison nurse administered a contaminated insulin shot to Williams. Because he wasn't tested for a variety of diseases and viruses prior to his incarceration for drug and weapons' offenses, it may never be known whether exposure to hepatitis, HIV and other infections contributed to his liver problems.
But the prison medical staff's failure to act quickly when pain first developed, his family says, was a deadly mistake.
"When I came into his room for the last time, I actually saw his breath leave his body," said Harry Williams Jr., Duane's brother. "I told him it was OK to let go. I saw the life go out of him. He's at peace. He is free now. He is definitely free."
Four days before he died, Duane Williams, 32, told The News Journal that he first felt a pain in his gut over four months ago but the pain wasn't taken seriously until this month when a prison guard noticed Williams' eyes were turning yellow. The officer demanded that a nurse or doctor provide treatment or transfer the inmate to a hospital.
Williams was taken to Wilmington Hospital and then Philadelphia's Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he died at approximately 1:30 a.m. His family requested an autopsy, but the exact cause of death remains unknown.
"One of the doctors said he had acute hepatitis," his brother said. "But no one is telling us anything official."
"He didn't deserve this," wife Megan Williams said through tears. "I will miss him very, very much."
Department of Correction Commissioner Carl Danberg was on military leave, according to spokesman John Painter, but in a statement, Danberg said the prison would review Williams' death.
"On behalf of the Delaware Department of Correction, I offer condolences to Duane J. Williams' family," Danberg wrote. "I also offer the pledge that the Department of Correction will cooperate fully as medical professionals determine the cause of death."
Federal law prevents Danberg from discussing medical records, but he said an internal review will examine whether there "were any deficiencies in the care provided to Mr. Williams while he was in our custody."
Gov. Ruth Ann Minner extended her "sincerest sympathy" to Williams' family and friends. "The cause of Mr. Williams' death is currently being investigated with the full cooperation of the Department of Correction, and again, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time," she said in a statement.
'The prison system killed him'
In addition to his wife, Williams left behind a 10-year-old daughter, three brothers and sisters, parents and scores of family and friends who think the Delaware Department of Correction and its for-profit medical contractor, Correctional Medical Services, delayed and denied care in order to save the system some money.
"Without a doubt the prison system killed him," Harry Williams said. "My brother wasn't a drinker or a drug addict. They killed him. They waited too long."
A diabetic, Williams was exposed to contaminated blood when a former CMS nurse at Gander Hill prison drew insulin from a multidose vial with a syringe she had earlier used to obtain a blood sample from another inmate.
The nurse, who resigned after the mistake was discovered, delivered insulin from that vial to Williams and 46 other diabetic inmates. Six have since tested positive for hepatitis, although prison officials can't definitively link their illnesses to the contaminated insulin.
Hepatitis can lead to liver failure, but progressing from exposure to total failure in 1 1/2 years would be rare, said hepatitis expert Dr. Robert Fontana of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Williams was serving three years in prison for possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony. He was due to be released Sept. 1.
His family and friends say there was no chance he would have re-offended.
Inspiration to friend
Bob Reen Jr., 30, a medical student, has known Williams since 1994.
"I don't condone why he went to prison, but that's a separate issue. It's meaningless," Reen said. "There's no way he would have gone back. He's a family man, and he has his wife and daughter waiting, and a big support group. We were all waiting for him to get out. He learned his lesson and he had a life waiting for him outside that was much better than he had."
Reen credits his friend for pushing him to better himself.
"He has a great impact on my life," Reen said. "I'm in medical school now, and a lot of that is attributed to him."
Delayed care common theme
Problems with prison health care and high inmate death rates, especially from AIDS and hepatitis, were examined by The News Journal in a series published in 2005. In March 2006, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division launched an investigation. In a settlement agreement, Delaware agreed to revamp its prison health care system and to report its progress over the next three years to the Justice Department.
Just as delayed treatment is an issue surrounding Williams' death, delayed care was an issue when the Justice Department opened its investigation.
Rolanda Trotman's twin brother, Ronald, died March 4, 2005, while an inmate in the Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna.
Trotman was just months away from getting out of prison when he contracted Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Outside the prison, the disease is easily treatable with high doses of antibiotics. Trotman's family claimed he never received any treatment. One Kent General physician wrote that Trotman should have been brought to the hospital a month earlier. Another hospital doctor noted that he should have been brought to the hospital seven months before he died.
Rolanda Trotman said Williams' family most likely won't get straight answers from state officials. "We didn't," she said. "It's very hard to get over. I still cry every night. I don't know if I'll ever get over it."
The Reverend Christopher Bullock, senior pastor of the New Canaan Baptist Church and co-founder of the Delaware Coalition for Prison Reform and Justice, said the coalition wants to meet with Danberg about Williams' death.
"We pray for his family. We mourn the tragic death -- a death that could have been avoided," Bullock said. "The coalition will seek justice. It appears to be a lack of urgency to address the systemic problems that still exists in our penal system, and someone must be held accountable." Contact investigative reporter Lee Williams at 324-2362 or lwilliams@delawareonline.com
