Autopsy: Pinellas Inmate Died Of Pneumonia, MRSA
In Loving Memory
The Best Mother Ever
PINELLAS COUNTY, FLA—An autopsy of the inmate who died in the Pinellas County Jail where she was being held for allegedly stealing a $9 Philly cheesesteak sandwich from a Publix supermarket indicates her cause of death was severe pneumonia brought on by an MRSA infection, according to Pinellas County medical examiner Jon Thogmartin.
Thogmartin says that 42-year-old Dorothy Palinchik of St. Petersburg Palinchik was the victim of an apparent staph infection caused by the antibiotic-resistent MRSA bacteria and pneumonia. She died Feb. 28, less than two weeks after she had been booked into the jail and had had no pre-existing health problems. Thogmartin said the autopsy was inconclusive if she contracted the infection at the jail or was already infected at the time of her booking on Feb. 13.
Palinchik’s family says a medical center doctor told them that the infection had done irreversible damage to the woman’s arms and legs, turning them black due to loss of circulation. Family members say that doctors at first recommended amputating her arms and legs but later reportedly told them that Palinchik would probably die even with the surgery. The family had decided against the surgery and were planning to take her off life support when she died.
Within a week after she had been jailed, Palinchik became ill and was transferred to the jail’s medical wing on Feb. 21. Family members claim that she had repeatedly asked for medical help before being transferred but got what they say was inadequate care and was given only one Motrin and one Sudafed although her fever of 101.5 raged for five days.
Upon being transported to the Largo Medical Center Friday night with chest pain and difficulty breathing, she lapsed into a coma.
The sheriff’s department has launched an internal investigation into the matter. The family has hired attorney Mark Buell of Tampa to initiate a federal civil rights claim against the Pinellas County Jail.
Tags: county, jail, pinellas
May 9th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I’m sorry for your loss but I fear Alzheimers and a slow spiral into certain madness than the 30% chance of survival you get with some cancers. Better some hope then no hope, my money goes to Terry Pratchetts disease.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I suppose. Either way whilst what happened is sad I still think we need to send support to other diseases as well as cancer. Deadly as it may be it is not the only lethal and horrible disease out there.I’m just glad I don’t have Ebola. shudderPS: Again, I am sorry for your loss. Knowing how fragile and close to death your parents are compared to you is a problem for all young men (I am assuming this as you use reddit, I apologise if I am wrong) and is made all the worse when the worst finally happens.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
You could say that alzheimers is a cause, he claimed “old timers” and forgot to follow up after determining his low iron was not colon cancer. Will never know for sure, now.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Hang in there buddy.
May 10th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I plan on doing so as well, what a horrible way to go :’(
May 10th, 2008 at 12:55 am
My own dad is facing a very uncertain future just now after being “completely cleared” of cancer two years ago — only to discover this past Christmas Eve that the cancer was back.He had two tumors removed a couple of days later, but his oncologist is not optimistic that he’ll survive this time. So… my own dad’s funeral may not be so far away. Which utterly sucks, because I love and admire my dad. I hoped I’d have him around at least another ten or twenty years.I’ll be donating. Thanks for the reminder to everyone.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:46 am
thanks, and thank you for the suggestion
May 10th, 2008 at 2:37 am
stupid title. Downmodded.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I am updating this as it seems to now be some kind of reference point for the onion story now.I posted this from my iPhone in the limo on the way back from the little ceremony they had at the graveyard. I was still quite shaken as while he died sunday, I didn’t see his body till Thursday and didn’t know how bad he had suffered. It was a different person, and it made me feel intense sorrow (god this is difficult to write) for how horrible his passing was. Chemotherapy kills your immune system, and then you can pick up the common diseases you’re normally immune to, like Pneumonia, and then you can’t breathe. They had to force air into his lungs and tried to keep him alive and hoped the chemo would work and he’d start to regain an immune system, but he didn’t. Mom had to pull the plug and supposedly he likely had brain damage from the lack of oxygen.I last visited him in February to help setup his laptop so he could use the internet while in the hospital. He did use it a little to e-mail his friends, and he told mom (I was going to fly down to see him on the 25th for a week) that I was ’studying’ him like it was the last time I’d see him. I don’t know how true that is, I just tried to spend quality time with him when I did and he was looking more like himself and less like a chemo patient. We watched the Super Tuesday results and discussed politics. He seemed (to me) like he could pull through.I hope he got to say all he needed to in those e-mails to his friends. Oh god :’(