Prison inmate sues UTMB Galveston for $3.3M

A Texas prison inmate is seeking $3.3 million from a healthcare provider after allegedly falling from a transport bus at a hospital. 

James I. Quick filed a pro se lawsuit against University of Texas Medical Center in Galveston on Aug. 9 in Galveston County District Court. 

According to the handwritten complaint, Quick is a 72-year-old man incarcerated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. On Aug. 29, 2012, he says he was transported by the prison to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for a renal ultrasound appointment. 

After what Quick calls a "rushed and hurried pursuit" to get the medical center, he says he and other inmates were rushed off the bus. The 72-year-old says he was trying to exit when he fell on his knee and arm "because the floor was very uneven, making it impossible" to get off the bus safely. Quick says an X-ray taken at UTMB that day showed a fracture to his arm.

After returning to his housing unit at the prison, Quick says he started having foot pain. Another X-ray showed a fracture and bone fragments, according to the lawsuit. Quick says both injuries cause him ongoing, extensive pain and suffering. 

Quick says he has exhausted all remedies through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice by filing multiple grievances. The inmate says the department acknowledged transportation officers need to be trained on proper procedures for safely unloading people from the prison bus onto uneven ground.

Quick accuses UTMB Galveston of negligence for allegedly prohibiting safe transitions to and from its facility and for failing to adequately supervise the property to ensure patients' safety. He is asking for $2.3 million in compensatory damages for physical injuries, pain, humiliation, emotional distress and mental anguish. He also seeks $1 million in punitive damages. 

Quick is representing himself. He seeks a jury trial.

The case number is Galveston County District Court case 14-CV-0848.
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at Galveston County District Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.