FARGO (KFGO) – Attorneys for a former inmate at the Cass County jail have filed a federal civil lawsuit against the City of Fargo, Cass Public Health and two of its nurses, Cass County, and the jail’s administrator.
According to court records, 46-year-old Tsega Sharp was arrested by Fargo Police on Nov. 21, 2021 and taken to a hospital emergency room due to suicidal thoughts. There, Sharp told the doctor he was nauseous and had stomach pain. The doctor cleared Sharp and released him to officers with instructions to come back immediately if the condition changed or other concerns developed.
Sharp was booked into the jail and placed on constant observation.
A Health Service Request form from three days after the arrest says Sharp was shaking and had told jail staff his hands and feet were tense, he was spitting up blood, his back hurt, and he felt like he was dying.
A nurse responded to the request four days later and his symptoms worsened to include diarrhea. The nurse documented the symptoms and noted that Sharp repeatedly asked to go to the hospital, but did not take any vitals or do an examination. The nurse told Sharp to drink plenty of fluids and take Tylenol or ibuprofen and sent him back to his cell.
The following day, Sharp requested to go to the hospital, saying his symptoms now included tingling in his fingers. The same nurse declined to see sharp.
Nearly a week after seeing the nurse, a corrections officer noted that Sharp was still asking to go to the hospital and was crying, but the officer believed it was fake.
On Dec. 6, after jail staff requested an evaluation, a different nurse said Sharp was breathing heavily, appeared lethargic and weak, and suffered the same symptoms as before. Sharp’s vital signs showed he had an irregular pulse, low blood pressure, and high respiration.
Sharp was sent to a hospital where staff sedated and intubated him.
Sharp was admitted to the ICU with nearly a dozen diagnoses, including sepsis, renal failure, vomiting, and a Hepatitis C virus infection.
Doctors put Sharp on mechanical ventilation through a tracheostomy. He suffered from an infection in a prosthetic heart valve and low blood supply to his legs due to septic shock.
Sharp was transferred to hospitals in Minneapolis where, in February of 2022, doctors replaced his prosthetic heart valve and had to amputate his legs below the knees due to gangrene.
Sharp is asking for compensation for past and future financial damages, attorneys fees, and interest.
The defendants have not filed a response.
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