Lawsuit Filed by Mother of Man who Fatally Shot Healthcare Worker Blames Hospital where she Worked

Can You Believe It?

Tuscaloosa, Ala. (WorkersCompensation.com) -- Attorneys for the mother of a man accused of fatally shooting a nurse alleges the hospital system that she worked at is to blame for the shooter’s actions.

According to a lawsuit filed by Amanda Taylor, mother of Matthew James Taylor, the DCH Health System failed to provide emergency psychiatric care to Matthew Taylor before he shot and killed nurse Ada Doss, and that the hospital’s inaction helped to create the circumstances that led to Taylor’s attack.

The complaint, filed in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court, alleges Matthew Taylor sought emergency treatment from DSH Regional Medical Center on May 12, but was refused. As a result, he was not evaluated, stabilized, treated or admitted. The lawsuit said Matthew Taylor then remained on or near the hospital for several hours.

According to the Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Office’s Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) at the time of the incident, Taylor had been dropped off at DCH on the day of the shooting. Captain Jack Kennedy with the VCU said the suspect, 41-year-old Matthew James Taylor, had been dropped off on May 12 on his own request for help.

DCH disputes the lawsuit’s claim, something police at the time seem to confirm.

“Taylor never entered the hospital or the emergency room, but instead loitered on and about the DCH campus for several hours,” Kennedy said. Police said video surveillance of Taylor shows his whereabouts up until the shooting, with the exception of about 90 minutes.

Officials said Taylor left the hospital campus for 90 minutes. When he returned, DCH officials said he was only on the property for less than five minutes before the shooting.

Video surveillance showed that while he was on the campus, he tried to rob a woman who was inside of her car by brandishing a gun. Taylor told the woman to get out of her car, but the woman instead drove away.

Shortly after the woman left, Doss was walking to her car during shift change when Taylor approached her waving the gun. Taylor tried to take Doss’ purse. As part of that conflict, Taylor fatally shot Doss. Taylor then took her purse, went through it to find her keys and attempted to take her car.

Taylor, 41, was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with capital murder, first-degree robbery, and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. Taylor is currently awaiting transfer to Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility for a court-ordered competency evaluation and his mental state at the time of the crime.

Amanda Taylor’s suit is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

DCH said Taylor never entered the facility, was never a patient of the hospital, and had never requested help.

“The loss of our colleague continues to weigh heavily on every member of our DCH family. She was a dedicated nurse and case manager who gave her professional life to caring for others, and her absence is felt every day by her colleagues, her patients, and the community she served,” the hospital said in a statement. “We have been made aware of a civil complaint in connection with her death filed by the family of the alleged assailant. While it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the specifics of pending litigation, we want to be clear: DCH takes its responsibilities to its employees and to the community with the utmost seriousness. We will review the complaint carefully and respond through the appropriate legal process.”

The hospital said it had made security adjustments in order to protect its staff.

“The ongoing security enhancements we have implemented since May 12th are real, and not contingent on the outcome of any legal proceeding. The enhancements of our security protocols will continue with input from our employees and leading security experts,” the hospital said. Our thoughts remain with those who have been touched by the tragic loss of our colleague.”

The hospital is also being sued by Doss’s husband.

Andrew Doss, Ada Doss’s husband, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital alleging that security failures allowed Taylor to roam the campus for hours before the shooting.

That lawsuit, filed on June 16, said Andrew Doss was on the phone with Ada Doss discussing dinner plans and their evening routine when Taylor approached her. Andrew said in the suit that he heard his wife’s panic as Taylor approached the car with a gun, and ultimately heard her last words, “Please, don’t, I have babies,” before Taylor shot and killed her.

That lawsuit alleges DCH and its security contractor, Allied Universal Security Services, failed to stop Taylor despite recognizing his erratic behavior.

Doss’s lawsuit alleges that Taylor was transported to the DCH emergency room entrance that day by an unidentified individual, complaining of a manic episode. After being notified of Taylor’s alleged erratic behavior, security personnel failed to assess the threat and act to locate Taylor, the lawsuit said.

Taylor was allowed to leave the emergency room entrance area and roam the hospital’s campus unmonitored for hours, the lawsuit states. Security personnel never tried to find or confront Taylor, despite the fact Taylor was shirtless, shoeless and armed, the lawsuit said.

DCH said it could not comment on the pending litigation.

We have been made aware of a lawsuit filed today on behalf of the estate of our former colleague… she was a member of our DCH family — a dedicated nurse, a caregiver, and a mother. Her loss is not a legal matter to us. It is personal. And her family’s grief is something we hold alongside our own,” the hospital said. “While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, we will say that independent of any legal action, we take seriously the safety of everyone on our campus.”

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