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San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Family sues Bay Area county for alleged negligence in jail overdose death
The family of a man who died from an accidental overdose in Santa Clara County jail last year is suing the county for wrongful death, according to a recent lawsuit, marking the latest in a string of contested overdose deaths in Bay Area jails. James and Bonnie Gay filed a civil rights lawsuit in the Northern District of California on Wednesday against Santa Clara County, alleging that their 33-year-old son Brandon Gay died as a result of negligence by staff at the Elmwood Correctional Facility, federal court records show. Gay was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on November 15, 2024, on drug-related charges, county officials said. He tested positive for amphetamines, benzodiazepines and fentanyl during a medical screening with county personnel, according to the complaint. Gay told medical staff that he used fentanyl and Xanax the day before his arrest, and that he sometimes experienced seizures when 'coming down from Xanax,' the complaint said. Staff cleared him for transport to a correctional facility in Milpitas. A staff doctor ordered wellbeing checks and opiate withdrawal assessments for Gay, but according to allegations made in the lawsuit, county medical staff 'failed to follow this order' for more than a day. Medical staff checked on Gay around 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. November 17, 2024, noting that he was able to move about his cell but 'wanted to go back to sleep,' according to the complaint. At 8:48 p.m. the same day, staff found Gay unconscious on the shower-room floor, the complaint alleges. They transported him in a wheelchair to a medical area at the facility, where he reportedly had a faint pulse, shallow breathing and cool skin. Medical personnel administered three doses of Narcan, according to the complaint. County officials said paramedics from the Milpitas Fire Department arrived by 9:08 p.m. and transported Gay to San Jose Regional Medical Center. Gay died at the hospital several days later. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office said Gay died from complications of mixed drug toxicity related to methamphetamine, buprenorphine and fentanyl. Gay was among 10 people who died in the custody of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in 2024, including five whose deaths were ruled natural, according to the agency. 'It's troubling when someone dies in custody like this,' said James Cook, an attorney representing the Gay family. 'If the jails are doing their monitoring correctly, you'll be able to take people to the hospital if there's some type of sickness that might lead to death.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
1st Santa Clara County overdose death of carfentanil, 100x more potent than fentanyl
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the county's first overdose death from carfentanil, an opioid approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. County health officials identified the victim as a 39-year-old man who was found dead with counterfeit M30 pills made to look like prescription oxycodone. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is not approved for human consumption-far more potent than fentanyl and morphine. Officials are sounding the alarm to the public, advising people that most opioid pills on the street are fake and made to look like legitimate prescription medication. What they're saying "Using drugs alone increases the risk of death. We urge people to avoid the dangers of opioids, especially fake pills that may contain carfentanil or fentanyl," said Dr. Michelle Jorden, a neuropathologist and the county's chief medical examiner. "Fake pills look real, but they can be deadly. People should not take any pill that they did not buy from the pharmacy," she said. The county's Board of Supervisors declared a public health crisis around mental health and substance use in 2022. The Behavioral Health Services Department is teaming up with other county-led programs and community partners to expand treatment options for people fighting substance-use disorders, according to Dr. Cheryl Ho, the behavioral health medical director for Substance Use Treatment Services (SUTS) and the County of Santa Clara. "If anyone you know is struggling, please reach out. Help is available -- and act now: treatment is available," said Ho. Added Dr. Akanksha Vaidya, "We believe that every life matters and no one should die of an overdose. That's why we offer evidence-based harm reduction services proven to reduce the risks of overdose and disease for people at any stage of use or recovery." Vaidya serves as the assistant health officer for Santa Clara County's Harm Reduction Program. "We reach the community with tools like the overdose-reversing medication naloxone, drug test strips, and help getting into treatment when someone is ready," Vaidya said. Dig deeper Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, can reverse an overdose and should always be administered in the event of a potential opioid overdose, officials said. Other harm-reduction strategies include using fentanyl test strips. Anyone Santa Clara County resident 18 or older can receive free naloxone through the mail through the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project. For more information about the project or treatment services, call (408) 272-6055 or email sccoopp@ You can also visit their website here. The Source Santa Clara County
