BLOUNTSTOWN, FL (WTXL) - A Blountstown woman who died in police custody passed away due to a blood clot, police said.
Police were called in Monday morning, after Barbara Dawson was reportedly being abusive to staff and other patients.
According to officers, the 57-year-old was discharged, but was insisting on getting more treatment. Dawson's family says she was pleading for medical care and her oxygen tank and neither were provided.
Police say they then handcuffed Dawson and took her to a patrol car, when she collapsed.
Doctors re-admitted her, but a short time later, she died. The death was because of a pulmonary saddle embolus, or a blood clot in the lungs related to Dawson's obesity. The Medical Examiner's office said.
The Parks and Crump Law Firm in Tallahassee is handling the case. Attorney Daryl Parks says it is still very early on, but future action on their part could include a suit towards the hospital,the police department or both on behalf of the family: "Something happened in course of them taking her to the car that alerted them that they needed to go back inside. So she never should have left the hospital anyway. She never left the hospital grounds, so the fact that you would take a sick person and put them in cuffs says something both about the hospital and the department in and of itself, those are things that they both need to address."
Parks says their office is urging other law enforcement agencies to investigate further into the case.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been called in to investigate.
