A 17-year-old girl who passed away at Diamond Ranch Academy in December 2022 had a treatable illness, according to the autopsy report, and her family’s lawyers claim she was never transferred to a hospital.
This afternoon, Diamond Ranch, an institution for troubled teenagers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Any statements from the facility will be added to this site when they become available.
The Utah Medical Examiner reported that on December 20, 2022, 17-year-old Taylor Goodridge passed away from peritonitis. The condition is described by Johns Hopkins Medicine as an inflammation of the stomach lining.
The tweet below confirms the news:
A 17-year-old girl who died at Diamond Ranch Academy in December suffered from an infection that is usually “easily treated,” her family’s attorney announced Friday, citing autopsy records. https://t.co/9AAf6IL5c1
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) April 21, 2023
According to Johns Hopkins, “It is frequently caused by an infection from a hole in the bowel or a burst appendix.” “You need to get medical attention right away.” A course of antibiotics will treat peritonitis, while severe instances may necessitate immediate surgery.
Sepsis developed in her body as a result of the infection, and it spread to “all of [Goodridge’s] vital organs, causing complete organ failure.”
In a press release, attorney Alan W. Mortensen claimed that Goodridge’s Diamond Ranch records showed she “vomited multiple times for almost a week before she died. Before she passed away, (Diamond Ranch) personnel pleaded with management to transport her to the hospital.
Mortensen asserted that rather than receiving assistance, the administrators of the facility punished Goodridge. Even though she began exhibiting symptoms as early as December 9, including back pain, breathing problems, and trouble sleeping due to pain, she never visited a doctor before she passed away. According to Mortensen’s claim, Taylor puked at least 14 times, including seven times in a span of 11 hours.
Additionally, according to Mortensen, Diamond Ranch stopped calling Goodridge’s parents while she was ill. Since then, her parents have sued Diamond Ranch. The facility has also been placed on probation while an investigation is conducted by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Parents The following statement was released by AmberLynn Wigtion and Dean Goodridge:
“We are devastated to learn that Taylor’s death was entirely preventable had Diamond Ranch Academy cared. We are also dumbfounded that the State of Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services has not held Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for Taylor’s death, settling with Diamond Ranch Academy without any input from our family. Diamond Ranch Academy is now able to continue accepting unknowing students with naive parents, so that the owners of Diamond Ranch Academy can continue to earn profits from the misfortunes of its students and their parents. We intend to continue to pursue all avenues to hold Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for her death to make sure this does not happen to other innocent teens and their families.”
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