SUN Behavioral Health: Lawsuit Says Man Died While Being Restrained by Nearly a Dozen Staff

March 18, 2022

A Fort Thomas (Kentucky) man died during his 18-hour stay at a mental health hospital in Erlanger after being pinned to the ground by staff in a position some say is potentially fatal, a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family says.

Brian Wilson, 48, was admitted to Sun Behavioral Health in the early morning hours of Nov. 18 "to address a mental health episode," attorneys for the family said in an amended complaint filed March 11 in Kenton County.

[Psychcrime note: Sun is a chain of for-profit psychiatric and addiction treatment facilities headquartered in New Jersey, with locations in Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, and Texas.]

Staff checked on Wilson's condition regularly noting that his state of mind was "calm," until around 7:15 p.m. when he was told medication to help him sleep was unavailable, at which point he became "agitated," the complaint states.

Wilson exited the facility and was followed outside by hospital staff, the lawsuit says.

Brian Wilson death: What the lawsuit says

"After exiting the courtyard, Mr. Wilson was pinned to the ground in a prone position by nearly a dozen SUN employees," attorneys say in the complaint, adding he was "purportedly" injected with haloperidol, lorazepam and phenhydramine, a cocktail of medications staff knew Wilson was partially allergic to.

Staff held Wilson in a prone position until he went limp after more than four minutes, the lawsuit states. Only then was he rolled over, though at that point employees found him unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse, the complaint states.

Paramedics arrived on the scene at 7:36 p.m. and were unable to revive Wilson, according to the lawsuit, adding he was taken to a hospital in Florence shortly thereafter.

"Mr. Wilson did not regain a pulse or breathe after losing both while pinned to the ground by SUN's numerous employees," the complaint reads.

According to Kentucky law, prone restraint refers to a person being held in a face-down position on the floor or another surface with pressure applied to their body to keep them in that position.

The Enquirer has requested documents related to the Wilson case.

The lawsuit alleges the facility failed to adequately train and supervise its staff regarding patient restraint, that employees involved "breached the duty of ordinary care" by improperly restraining Wilson and that the facility and its staff were negligent.

Joshua Davis, the attorney representing Sun Behavioral Health, hasn't responded to several requests for comment.

Sun Behavioral Health opened its 197-bed psychiatric hospital on Dolwick Drive in Erlanger in 2018 as part of a partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

A 2016 lawsuit was filed by family members of an Alzheimer's disease patient who claimed problems stemming from treatment received from St. Elizabeth and Sun.

A subsequent investigation led to criminal charges being filed against four former caregivers at the St. Elizabeth Edgewood campus.

Brian Wilson called 'a gentle giant'

Lillie Wilson met her husband, Brian, when she was just 17 years old. The two spoke over the phone for two weeks before they had their first date. They were married in 1996.

Lillie Wilson met her husband, Brian, at the age of 17. They were married in 1996. Brian Wilson died after being restrained during his 18-hour stay at Sun Behavioral Health in Erlanger.

"Brian was a quiet person until you got to know him," she said. "He liked to sit back and kind of watch what happened in the world."

Lillie Wilson describes her husband, who stood at 6-foot-2 and weighed over 300 pounds, as "a gentle giant." He would often stop to hand out money or buy lunch for those experiencing homelessness, she said.

But Brian Wilson was also among the 21 million Americans who suffer from depression, something he'd been battling for 13 years, his wife said. His admission to Sun in November was his third since the facility opened, Lillie Wilson added.

Lillie Wilson said she was told by hospital staff that Brian collapsed following the injection. However, she later learned after speaking with police that he was restrained in the prone position, she told The Enquirer.

"I've never lived without him and so it's been incredibly difficult," Lillie Wilson said. "Restraint is a very delicate, delicate thing and if it's not done right then this is what could happen."

Source: Quinlan Bentley, “'This is what could happen': Man died after being restrained at NKY mental health hospital, Cincinnati Enquirer, Mar. 15, 2022, URL: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/northern-ky/2022/03/16/brian-wilson-fort-thomas-died-after-being-restrained-sun-behavioral-health/9427926002/