Thread: Widow of Mexican Immigrant Who Died in Detention Sues U.S. Government

March 28, 2012

ATLANTA – The widow of an undocumented Mexican immigrant who died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a lawsuit against the federal government for negligence on Tuesday.

Roberto Medina-Martinez, 39, died March 11, 2009, of acute myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscular wall of the heart.

The immigrant, who fell ill while being held at the Stewart Detention Center, was eventually taken to St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Georgia, but doctors there were unable to save him.

“The records obtained by the ACLU show that Roberto Medina-Martinez was the victim of systemic negligence on the part of the medical staff at the Stewart Detention Center resulting in his unnecessary death,” Azadeh Shahshahani, National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director with the ACLU Foundation of Georgia.

According to the man’s widow, Sara Hernandez-Gonzalez, the lack of medical attention on the part of the authorities was what caused the death of her husband, for which she is seeking an indemnity of $1 million.

Among the failures cited in the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, is the fact that no physician signed the physical exam report that must be filled out for every detainee, a situation that is a violation of the policies of the Department of Homeland Security.

The plaintiffs assert that a proper medical exam would have permitted doctors to diagnose the problem.

The suit was brought on Hernandez-Gonzalez’s behalf by the ACLU Foundation of Georgia, Sutherland and Attorney Brian Spears. EFE

One Old Vet

Latin American Herald Tribune - Widow of Mexican Immigrant Who Died in Detention Sues U.S. Government

“The records obtained by the ACLU show that Roberto Medina-Martinez was the victim of systemic negligence on the part of the medical staff at the Stewart Detention Center resulting in his unnecessary death,” Azadeh Shahshahani, National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director with the ACLU Foundation of Georgia.

And I suppose HIS lifestyle had nothing to do with "systemic negligence" of his own health?

acute myocarditis:
Causes and symptoms

While there are several contributing factors that may lead to
myocarditis, the primary cause is viral. Myocarditis usually results from the
Coxsackie B virus, and may also result from measles,
influenza, chicken pox, hepatitis virus, or the adenovirus in children. If an
acute onset of severe myocarditis occurs, a patient may display the following
symptoms:




Rhythm disturbances of the heart

• Rapid heartbeat (Ventricular
  tachycardia)
• Left or right ventricular enlargement
• Shortness of breath (Dyspnea)
• Pulmonary edema (the accumulation of fluid in the lungs
  due to left-sided heart failure)
• Swollen legs.

Additional causes of myocarditis include:

• Bacterial infections, such as tetanus, gonorrhea, or
  tuberculosis
• Parasite infections, such as Chagas' disease (which is caused by an
  insect-borne protozoan most commonly seen in Central and South America)
• Rheumatic fever
• Surgery on the heart
• Radiation therapy for cancer that is localized in the
  chest, such as breast or lung cancer
• Certain medications.

As of 1996, research has shown that illegal drugs and toxic
substances may also produce acute or chronic injury to the myocardium. These
studies also indicate an increase in the incidence of toxic results from the use
of cocaine. This illegal drug causes coronary artery
spasm, myocardial infarction (heart attack), and arrhythmias, as well as myocarditis.

Further studies conducted in 1996 indicate that malnutrition encourages the Coxsackie B virus to
flourish, leading to the potential development of myocarditis. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is also now recognized
as a cause of myocarditis, though its prevalence is not known.

Symptoms of myocarditis may start as fatigue, shortness of breath, fever and aching of the joints,
all characteristic of a flu-like illness. In contrast to this type of mild
appearance, myocarditis may also appear suddenly in the form of heart failure,
or sudden cardiac death without any prior
symptoms. If an inflammation of the heart muscle leads to congestive heart
failure, symptoms such as swollen feet and ankles, distended neck veins, a rapid
heartbeat, and difficulty breathing while reclining may all appear.
Acute myocarditis - definition of Acute myocarditis in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

There MAY be reason to believe he got this condition LONG before he was incarcerated. By jumping the border and not going thru a medical exam we have NO way of knowing if he ever had even the most minor of innoculations, eg: measles. I'm tied of our tax dollars being wasted in lawsuits like this.

That was exactly my thought, but sadly, Id bet the U.S bends over backwards to give her $1Mil...While America is already in Debt and American families go broke..

Originally Posted by nomas

And I suppose HIS lifestyle had nothing to do with "systemic negligence" of his own health?

acute myocarditis:
Causes and symptoms


While there are several contributing factors that may lead to
myocarditis, the primary cause is viral. Myocarditis usually results from the
Coxsackie B virus, and may also result from measles,
influenza, chicken pox, hepatitis virus, or the adenovirus in children. If an
acute onset of severe myocarditis occurs, a patient may display the following
symptoms:


Rhythm disturbances of the heart

• Rapid heartbeat (Ventricular
  tachycardia)
• Left or right ventricular enlargement
• Shortness of breath (Dyspnea)
• Pulmonary edema (the accumulation of fluid in the lungs
  due to left-sided heart failure)
• Swollen legs.

Additional causes of myocarditis include:

• Bacterial infections, such as tetanus, gonorrhea, or
  tuberculosis
• Parasite infections, such as Chagas' disease (which is caused by an
  insect-borne protozoan most commonly seen in Central and South America)
• Rheumatic fever
• Surgery on the heart
• Radiation therapy for cancer that is localized in the
  chest, such as breast or lung cancer
• Certain medications.

As of 1996, research has shown that illegal drugs and toxic
substances may also produce acute or chronic injury to the myocardium. These
studies also indicate an increase in the incidence of toxic results from the use
of cocaine. This illegal drug causes coronary artery
spasm, myocardial infarction (heart attack), and arrhythmias, as well as myocarditis.

Further studies conducted in 1996 indicate that malnutrition encourages the Coxsackie B virus to
flourish, leading to the potential development of myocarditis. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is also now recognized
as a cause of myocarditis, though its prevalence is not known.

Symptoms of myocarditis may start as fatigue, shortness of breath, fever and aching of the joints,
all characteristic of a flu-like illness. In contrast to this type of mild
appearance, myocarditis may also appear suddenly in the form of heart failure,
or sudden cardiac death without any prior
symptoms. If an inflammation of the heart muscle leads to congestive heart
failure, symptoms such as swollen feet and ankles, distended neck veins, a rapid
heartbeat, and difficulty breathing while reclining may all appear.
Acute myocarditis - definition of Acute myocarditis in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

There MAY be reason to believe he got this condition LONG before he was incarcerated. By jumping the border and not going thru a medical exam we have NO way of knowing if he ever had even the most minor of innoculations, eg: measles. I'm tied of our tax dollars being wasted in lawsuits like this.

His name

Roberto Medina-Martinez, 39

Her name

According to the man’s widow, Sara Hernandez-Gonzalez

This is why we seem to have so many single mothers in this country in the past 10-15 years that claim a need welfare for their American born illigitimate children and do not disclose that they are married or disclose the father's cash income. It would be interesting to see if this woman has been receiving public benefits by claiming to be a single woman but is now claiming to be married for a lawsuit.