WILLIAMSPORT — A Sunbury psychiatrist testified that Ryan Francis was the most suicidal individual he’d ever seen in 30 years of practice, but Dr. Frederick Maue did not tell Northumberland County Prison officials to place Francis under constant supervision, according to documents filed in a federal lawsuit.
That breakdown in communications contributed to the 2006 suicide of Ryan Francis in his prison cell and led to a $360,000 settlement between the county and the dead man’s grandmother.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bonnie Francis against Maue is still pending, and a jury trial is set for Aug. 5.
Her suit alleges Maue knew Ryan Francis was suicidal, but failed to inform prison officials of the 18-year-old’s precarious mental and emotional state.
Northumberland County’s insurance carrier will pay $360,000 to settle the suit. The suit was filed by Bonnie Francis in November, 2006, against Ralph “Rick” Reish, warden of Northumberland County Prison, and the county. The suit was later amended to include Maue, who was a contract employee until he resigned in April 2008.
Northumberland County commissioner Vinny Clausi would not confirm the amount of the settlement, but noting that regardless of the amount, it cost the county $25,000.
Ryan Francis was the sole member of his family to survive a fire in a Trevorton apartment building on Feb. 28, 2006. His mother, Jeanine Pfeiffer, brother, Tylor Pfeiffer, Francis’ girlfriend, Althea Colasurdo-Adams, and his mother’s boyfriend, Ronald Tretromono, all died, along with Ceclia Vottero, a tenant in another apartment.
He was arrested on March 7 after he disrupted the funeral of his girlfriend and was placed in Northumberland County Prison.
He was evaluated by Maue that evening and placed on “strict fours,” which meant that he was to be observed every 15 minutes by corrections officers. Because Maue did not order constant monitoring and did not tell prison officials Francis was suicidal, he was not placed in a suicide-proof cell or issued special suicide-proof clothing and blankets.
The 15-minute checks were part of normal prison routine for new inmates, and the next day, prison nurse Patti Wojcik took Francis off those checks. She testified she was not told about Francis’ suicidal tendencies. Francis’ cellmate was on 30-minute checks.
When the cellmate was taken out to a court appearance, Francis hanged himself with a bedsheet from a window.
According to court documents, Maue did not follow state standards in a number of ways:
-- By not communicating any urgency to prison officials or the nurse;
-- By failing to order continuous observation;
--By failing to document his findings and not following up with prison officials the next day;
-- And by not telling anyone Francis needed any special care. Maue later testified that he should have done so.
Other documents noted that while prison employees qualify for immunity from prosecution or lawsuits under the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, Maue, who worked at the Camp Hill state prison as well as Northumberland County prison, was specifically exempt as an independent contractor or consultant.
Maue’s attorney, Thomas Chairs of Camp Hill, did not immediately return calls on Wednesday seeking comment about the case.
-- E-mail comments to wlaepple@dailyitem.com
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