New lawsuit alleges a woman’s brain bleed was mistaken for drunken driving, causing significant harm
A 38-year-old Washington woman was pulled over and arrested in March 2022 because a state trooper thought she was driving under the influence. It turns out, however, that Nicole McClure was suffering from a frontal-lobe subdural hematoma—an injury that causes blood to pool on the surface of the brain—and not at all intoxicated.
McClure has now filed a lawsuit against Thurston County, Washington, that claims her lengthy arrest—she says she spent more than 24 hours in jail before she was properly evaluated—kept her from receiving proper care until it was too late, leading to permanent damage.
A new report from The Seattle Times detailed both the incident and McClure’s allegations. According to the report, state trooper Jonathan Barnes noticed McClure driving irregularly and attempted to pull her over. She did not stop the car, however, and eventually ran into a traffic roundabout. This behavior seemed suspicious to Barnes, and he approached the car as if McClure had been driving under the influence.
“Dash-camera video shows Barnes rush up with his gun drawn and pointed at McClure, yelling for her to get out of the car,” according to The Seattle Times. “Barnes then roughly pushes her onto the hood of his cruiser and struggles to handcuff her while accusing her of eluding police.”
Barnes also thought McClure was attempting to use her keys like a weapon—but it turned out that she was gripping them in a way that appeared to be unusual due to her brain bleed.
While McClure was taken to a hospital for a blood draw, she was not properly evaluated for more than a day, according to the lawsuit. In the meantime, she was allegedly showing signs that something was very wrong with her health—throwing up repeatedly, for instance.
McClure did eventually undergo emergency surgery, losing a large piece of her skull. The lawsuit alleges that her current condition could have potentially been avoided had she been immediately treated.
While Thurston County chose not to comment on the litigation, a representative did say “the safety of inmates, staff and the general public remains a top priority for the Thurston County Corrections Facility.”
Click the link below to read the full story from The Seattle Times reporter Mike Carter:
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.