A prisoner 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 26-year-old was rushed to the 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. They had been trapped in the lift for about five minutes.
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 office but nobody responded for over half an hour.
RM Block
The investigation report noted that the deceased 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 wellbeing at that time.
When cell doors were unlocked for recreation time at around 2.10pm, the deceased chose to stay in his cell to phone his brother.
When a prison officer was unlocking doors again to allow inmates to return to their cells at around 3.30pm, he noticed a call light was flashing red. He attempted to enter the cell but there was a mattress placed against the door.
Paramedics arrived at 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 (IPS) 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 people from cells, and prison officers should be reminded of obligations to ensure that equipment is in good order.
