The father of a teenager who died at a Utah boarding school has filed a lawsuit alleging the facility ignored his daughter’s complaints about ‘severe pain’ leading up to her death.
Taylor Goodridge, 17, died on December 20 after collapsing inside the Diamond Ranch Academy in Hurricane, Utah from what her family believes was sepsis from an untreated illness.
In late December, Taylor’s father, Dean Goodridge, filed suit against the facility, which has since been put on probation by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Dean alleges that staff members told the 17-year-old to ‘suck it up’ and claimed she was faking her pain, telling her to take aspirin and drink water for abdomen pain that caused her to at one point collapse in her own vomit and distended her stomach.
Taylor Goodridge, 17, died inside the Diamond Ranch Academy on December 20
The facility is described as a ‘therapeutic boarding school’ according to its website
According to its website, Diamond Ranch Academy is a ‘therapeutic boarding school’ that works with teens that have a variety of issues ranging from anger management issues to major depressive disorder.
A cause of death for the teenager has yet to be officially determined and shared.
Taylor reportedly fell sick on December 20 and collapsed inside the facility. When EMS officials arrived, Taylor was pronounced dead.
The girl’s father through the lawsuit alleges she had complained to staff members for weeks, dating back to November, about severe abdominal pain.
In response, the father says, the school and its staff members claimed she was faking the illness despite her at one point collapsing previous to her death.
The lawsuit, filed by Alan Mortensen who represents Dean, argues the school violated the Utah Health Care Malpractice Act by not treating or taking the girl’s complaints seriously.
According to a lawsuit filed by her father, Taylor had spent weeks complaining about severe abdominal pain
The facility works with teens that have a variety of issues ranging from anger management issues to major depressive disorder, according to its website
When Taylor entered the facility, she was in ‘very good health,’ according to her dad.
‘Here is that this young teenager is sent down to Utah from the state of Washington to try and help her get her life back in order,’ said Mortensen.
‘And before they know it, she’s died from what we believe will ultimately prove out to be sepsis. And with no explanation,’ the lawyer said.
In addition to Taylor complaining about the pain, the teenage girl also begged staff for help in the weeks leading up to her death, her father’s suit says.
Even after Taylor had collapsed in her own vomit and had an abdomen that was ‘extremely distended so that it was noticeable to others,’ staff continued to ignore her.
At one point, Taylor allegedly became so sick she collapsed in her own vomit
Taylor’s father claims she abdomen had become noticeably distended before her death
Lawyers believe the teenager died from sepsis and not a heart attack as the school claims
Dean, through his lawyer, says he believes the treatment his daughter received may reflect similar experiences by other students who ‘are often ignored or told that they are faking their illnesses.’
Mortensen also says school officials told the teen’s family she had been taken to the hospital after a heart attack and later died from the incident. Her family believes she died of sepsis from an untreated abdomen issue.
The suit claims the father felt comfortable sending his daughter to the school after reading the assurances promised by the school.
‘We recognize how difficult a decision it was to intervene on your child’s behalf,’ a Diamond Ranch Academy Parent Manual reads, according to the suit.
‘We also recognize how difficult it is to place the care of your child in the hands of another. Please take comfort in knowing that we take our responsibility very seriously,’ the manual continues.
The academy also promises parents it will ‘treat every student as if they were our own daughter or son.’
It’s unclear exactly what Taylor what being treated for.
Dean Goodridge alongside Taylor (bottom right) and two of Taylor’s siblings
A cause of death for the teenager (left) has yet to be determined
In a Facebook post made on Christmas Eve, Dean shared the news of Taylor’s death with his friends, saying the family plans to get to the bottom of the situation.
‘This is the hardest thing I will ever write, Dean wrote.
‘We don’t know what happened we will find out what happened,’ the grieving father said.
Dean, who lives in Washington state, said the young girl ‘meant the world to her family,’ including her siblings who loved her dearly.
Taylor’s dad shared the news of his daughter’s death on Facebook the day before Christmas
In a statement, Diamond Ranch Academy said:
‘We are cooperating fully and transparently with the State of Utah as they investigate this tragedy.
‘The safety of the students is our number one priority and we are continually striving to provide the best care possible to our students and families.
It is the policy of Diamond Ranch Academy to not publicly comment on pending litigation.’
This is the lawsuit filed by Dean Goodridge
Dean alleges the school ignored his daughter’s issues for weeks before her death
The facility, which shares glowing testimonials on its website, costs upwards of $7,000 a month according to one outlet.
On Facebook, there is an entire Facebook group devoted to those who went to Diamond Ranch Academy.
The group, called ‘I Survived Diamond Ranch Academy’ has more than 1,000 members and was created in 2011.
Diamond Ranch Academy opened in 1999 and promises to watch over and care for patients ‘with all the concern of a loving parent.’
‘If you’re looking for a program for your teenager that really works – that will really make a long-term difference – I invite you to give serious consideration to Diamond Ranch Academy,’ the academy’s website says.
‘If it’s important for you to find a program that will watch over, care for and help your youth with all the concern of a loving parent, look no further,’ the webpage continues.
Taylor’s family is seeking general and special damages, as well as punitive damages against the facility
Taylor’s family is seeking a jury trial.
The suit seeks general and special damages to be determined by the jury as well as the cost of attorney’s fees to be covered by the academy.
The family is also asking for punitive damages to be paid by Diamond Ranch Academy in ‘an amount sufficient to punish DRA and deter DRA and others in similar situations from engaging in such conduct in the future.’
No trial date has been set at this time.
