ST. CLOUD — The family of a St. Cloud man who died in custody at Stearns County Jail is suing the county and a local health care organization, accusing them of ignoring the man’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe.
According to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, 37-year-old Nick D. Norberg showed signs of respiratory distress for five hours before he died on the floor of a jail cell early Oct. 17, 2022.
“Once again, we have a Minnesota inmate pleading with medical and correctional personnel for his life, and those pleas go ignored,” attorney Jeff Storms said in a release.
Norberg’s father, Dan Norberg, and Nick’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, Susan Norberg, are suing CentraCare and Stearns County, as well as a few medical staff and county jail employees.
Stearns County did not respond to a request for comment on the case. A CentraCare representative said in an emailed statement: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Nickolas Norberg and the loss of life experienced by his family and loved ones. Due to pending litigation, CentraCare cannot comment further at this time.”
According to the lawsuit, Nick Norberg was arrested and brought to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital on Oct. 16, 2022, after he purchased a dozen cans of aerosol dust-removal spray and spent three hours “becoming intoxicated from the spray in a Walmart restroom.”
The lawsuit states that Norberg previously sustained a traumatic brain injury from a vehicle accident, after which he struggled with severe depression and substance abuse.
A month before he was arrested, Norberg went to the hospital’s emergency department after consuming inhalants and experiencing suicidal ideations. During that visit, doctors performed an electrocardiogram and Norberg was discharged with a note recommending a follow-up appointment for his uncontrolled hypertension.