UI Health Care to pay $4.2M after ‘violent and uncontrollable’ ER patient suffers brain damage

IOWA CITY — University of Iowa Health Care has agreed to pay $4.2 million to the mother of a 38-year-old Johnson County man who — while experiencing a psychotic break in the emergency room — was placed in such extreme restraints that he suffered a heart attack and “catastrophic and permanent brain injuries.”

The $4.16 million settlement aims to avoid ongoing litigation with Victoria Villarreal — guardian and mother of Conrad Colombo — who on April 10, 2022 self-admitted to the UIHC ER at about 6:30 p.m., having been released from jail that morning following a fight with his brother, according to the family’s lawsuit filed in April 2024.

Upon arrival, Colombo told ER staff he had a history of bipolar and schizoaffective disorder and for two days had been out of his prescribed Adderall and Lamotrigine — used to treat ADHD and bipolar disorder, respectively.

He also hadn’t slept in three days and displayed “poor insight, psychosis, paranoid delusions, as well as auditory and visual hallucinations.”

Colombo tested positive for marijuana and amphetamines and was supposed to be admitted for psychiatric consultation and treatment — but no psychiatric beds were available. So staff placed him in an ER hallway and assigned him continuous UIHC police supervision.

“At approximately 7:30 p.m., Mr. Colombo was placed in a hospital bed that was located in front of the main physician computer station of Hall B, where he remained for approximately 14 hours while waiting for a psychiatry bed,” according to the lawsuit.

Colombo was assigned an attending physician nearly nine hours after arriving, just before 3 a.m., and that doctor placed a medication order at 6:30 a.m., according to the lawsuit. The medication was given nearly two hours later at 8 a.m., when Colombo had started yelling and threatening staff, saying, “I will destroy you.”

One doctor saw Colombo get out of bed and start shadow boxing, noting he also began watching passersby more closely, according to the lawsuit.

At 9:40 a.m., with Colombo “screaming in his bed,” a social worker and UIHC police officer approached and asked him to keep his voice down. Colombo got out of bed, told officers to back up, and an altercation ensued, according to the lawsuit.

“During the altercation, Mr. Colombo was tackled to the ground,” the lawsuit states. “Several UIHC employees then restrained Mr. Colombo in a prone restraint, with Mr. Colombo forced face-down on the ground.”

A total of 16 UIHC employees participated in Colombo’s restraint, according to the lawsuit, including four doctors, a pharmacist, social worker, respiratory therapist, and multiple nurses.

“During Mr. Colombo’s restraint, none of the UIHC employees advocated nor insisted that Mr. Colombo be turned supine in order to monitor his vital signs, his breathing, and his heart rate,” according to the lawsuit, reporting Colombo was injected in quick succession with two doses of droperidol — a rapid sedative — and a single dose of midazolam, another sedative.

“Following these injections, Mr. Colombo was non-verbal and laid motionless on the ground,” according to the lawsuit. “Over the next several minutes, UIHC staff continued to restrain Mr. Colombo while the code green team prepared to restrain Mr. Colombo to his bed; Mr. Colombo remained non-verbal and motionless during this time.”

Eventually, UIHC staff rolled Colombo over and noticed his lips were blue, he was not breathing, and he’d fallen into cardiac arrest.

“UIHC staff began resuscitation efforts, which continued for approximately eight minutes before Mr. Colombo regained a pulse,” according to the lawsuit. “UIHC does not know when Mr. Colombo stopped breathing prior to UIHC staff rolling him over.”

Multiple UIHC staff members were injured in the altercation, according to the settlement. And Colombo — as a result of the restraints and medication — sustained lasting brain damage, according to court documents.

“UI Health Care retained experts supportive of its staff members’ care of Mr. Colombo and extensive discovery occurred,” according to the settlement, which the university eventually opted for in avoiding a jury trial.

“UI Health Care will pay the full amount,” where much of that settlement in years past would have fallen to the state.

Under a relatively new seven-year limited self-insurance deal it made with the state in 2023, UI Physicians must cover up to $6 million per claim and $15 million a year — well above the previous caps of $5 million per claim and $9 million per year.

At the end of the 2023 budget year, before the renegotiated deal, the state had paid $9.7 million toward UIHC claims — making up a majority of its total $13.7 million in settlements and judgments that year.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com