Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Death of their Son in Santa Barbara

Days after being booked into Santa Barbara County Jail, a 37-year-old Goleta man dies after being found unresponsive in his cell. The parents of the deceased, Luis Duron, filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming the jail's medical staff failed to treat Duron for obvious injuries.

The Case: San Juana Rodriguez-Gonzalez et al. v. County of Santa Barbara et al.

The Court: Los Angeles Federal Court

The Case No.: 2:24-cv-04685

The Plaintiff: San Juana Rodriguez-Gonzalez et al. v. County of Santa Barbara et al.

The plaintiffs in the case are Luis Duron's parents. The two filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court alleging the wrongful death of their son. According to the wrongful death complaint, on August 31, 2023, at approximately 6:16 am, the decedent, Luis Enrique Duron-Rodriguez, was being pursued by Santa Barbara County Sheriff Deputies for excessive speed on Hollister Avenue. Duron was driving when he collided with a parked car and then hit a tree at the corner of Hollister Avenue and Viajero. Luis Duron's Infinity sustained significant front-end damage, causing the airbags to deploy, and the Santa Barbara Fire Department responded to the scene. According to the complaint, Duron was taken to the hospital and evaluated before he was released and booked for two felonies and one misdemeanor (suspicion of driving under the influence with injuries, hit and run with injuries, and reckless driving). The records indicate that Duron was not immediately put on alcohol withdrawal syndrome protocol and that the following day, he seemed disoriented and confused. On September 2, 2023, Duron was discovered in his Santa Barbara County Jail cell unresponsive. Medical staff started CPR, placed an AED, and transported Duron to the hospital, where he later died.

The Defendants: San Juana Rodriguez-Gonzalez et al. v. County of Santa Barbara et al.

The defendants in the case are the Santa Barbara County Sheriff and others allegedly involved in the in-custody death of Duron. Duron's family alleges that the Santa Barbara County Jail medical staff failed to provide Duron with the necessary treatment for his injuries after the collision and substance withdrawal syndrome.

The Case: San Juana Rodriguez-Gonzalez et al. v. County of Santa Barbara et al.

Luis Duron's parents filed the lawsuit in Santa Barbara Federal Court on June 5, 2024, According to the plaintiffs, Duron displayed obvious signs of untreated severe alcohol withdrawal (severe anxiety, disorientation to time and place, hallucinations, and incoherent mumbling). When Duron was initially booked, he had excessive bruising on his chest - evidence of the trauma he sustained during the collision on 8/31/23. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that failing to provide treatment after the obvious signs and symptoms resulted in Duron's death.

If you have questions about how to file a California wrongful death lawsuit, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw L.L.P. Experienced wrongful death attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.