The family of a diabetic Rikers Island inmate who died after correction officers ignored his suffering for more than 14 hours will receive a $1.5 million settlement from the city.
Internal investigations by the city and state blamed the death of Carlos Mercado, 45, on the Rikers officers on duty starting Aug. 23, 2013.
Surveillance video captured one of the jailers, Eric Jacobs, actually stepping over Mercado twice after he fell face-first out of a holding pen, according to documents obtained by the Daily News.
“This settlement hopefully brings Mr. Mercado’s family some closure following this tragic event,” a Law Department spokesman said.
Some inmates and guards suspected Mercado (photo inset), who had struggled with heroin addiction, was merely “dope sick” and going through withdrawal.
“Well if he don’t get up when I call him, he ain’t gonna get his methadone,” one inmate recalled a correction officer saying.
After The News reported exclusively on the internal investigations in August, The New York Times followed up with disturbing video footage of Mercado’s demise, which likely could have been prevented with an insulin injection.
City lawyers then complained that The News’ report disrupted settlement talks in the lawsuit brought by Mercado’s sister, Linda.
“It is only a matter of time before other news outlets jump onto the story which may then ‘go viral,’ ” city attorney Austa Devlin wrote in Manhattan Federal Court, adding that the case was now being judged “in the forum of public opinion.”
Linda Mercado could not be reached. Her lawyers also did not respond to a request for comment. The case was resolved this month.
Linda told The News in August she hoped her suit would help prevent similar scenarios at Rikers. She said staff needed to be properly trained how to care for diabetic inmates.
“All he was asking for was his medicine. That’s all he needed. He would be here today,” she said.
A city official noted that the incident predated Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte’s tenure.
A separate suit stemming from the 2013 death of inmate Bradley Ballard is ongoing. A jail source told The News that Ballard, who also suffered from diabetes, had one of the highest blood-sugar levels coroners had ever seen when he died.
Mayor de Blasio has ended the city’s contract with controversial jail medical provider Corizon.
In June, following an investigation into a culture of abuse on Rikers Island, the city agreed to a series of reforms that are ongoing.
