Brieux Dash, 33, died by suicide at a Veterans Affairs medical center in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2019. A VA investigation found several shortcomings. Attorneys for the family say they’ve now reached a “historic” $5.75 million settlement.
Her husband, former Army Sgt. Brieux Dash, had battled post-traumatic stress disorder since was honorably discharged in 2015, and his mental health struggles had recently worsened. Emma Dash trusted that her husband would be protected at the VA center’s mental health unit.A Veterans Affairs investigation found shortcomings at the facility, including inconsistent safety checks and problems with surveillance cameras to monitor at-risk patients.
Over the years, Brieux and Emma Dash tried to keep his mental health episodes, which included a previous suicide attempt, hidden from their children. But in 2019, he started acting in ways that were “totally not like him,” Emma Dash said, including yelling at their children the morning he was admitted to the VA medical center.
Staff members did not find him for more than two hours, even though workers in the mental health unit were required to check on patients every 15 minutes, the lawsuit alleged.
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