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HURRICANE, Washington County — A teenage girl who died while staying at a residential treatment facility for troubled teens in Hurricane, was sick for 12 days before her death, according to an autopsy report released by attorneys.
Taylor Goodridge, who was 17, died on Dec. 20, 2022 of peritonitis, an infection of the abdomen tissue, according to the autopsy report from the Utah Medical Examiner, released Friday by attorneys for the teen's parents.
"We are devastated to learn that Taylor's death was entirely preventable had Diamond Ranch Academy cared," the parents said in a joint statement.
Taylor's father, Dean Goodridge, is suing Diamond Ranch Academy in federal court, alleging the staff knew she was sick and refused to help, leading to her death.
"Taylor's stomach became extremely distended so that it was noticeable to others. Taylor was in excruciating pain, but all the DRA staff did was tell her to drink water and take aspirin," the lawsuit says. The complaint also alleges Taylor begged staff for medical help and even collapsed in her own vomit one time, but was told she was "faking it" and needed to "suck it up."
Diamond Ranch Academy has since filed for dismissal in the civil lawsuit. The academy's request states that the case should be dismissed based on jurisdictional issues with the case and noncompliance in following prelitigation procedure.
A statement from Goodridge's attorney Alan Mortensen said because of the peritonitis, the infection spread to all of Taylor's vital organs, causing organ failure.
"The first symptoms of peritonitis are vomiting and a swollen stomach, both of which Taylor experienced for several days before her death. It is easily treated with antibiotics and is fully recoverable," the statement says.
Mortensen said even though the facility says the situation is being portrayed inaccurately, academy records show Taylor had been vomiting for over a week before she died. He said staff begged management to take Taylor to the hospital and that when Taylor begged for help, she received punishment from the school.
"Taylor's complaints and staffs' pleadings to help her were completely disregarded by (Diamond Ranch Academy) and her weekly phone calls to her parents were unilaterally cancelled by DRA during the weeks before she died. Taylor died on site at the Diamond Ranch Academy without ever seeing a doctor or being taken to the hospital," Mortensen said.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services determined that as early as Dec. 9, 2022, Taylor reported back pain, difficulty breathing and difficulty sleeping because of the pain, Mortensen's statement says. In the 12 days before her death, program documents show Taylor vomited at least 14 times, seven of which occurred in an 11-hour timeframe, Mortensen said.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services placed Diamond Ranch Academy on conditional status on Dec. 22, 2022.
"We are also dumbfounded that the state of Utah's Department of Health and Human Services has not held Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for Taylor's death, settling with Diamond Ranch Academy without any input from our family," Taylor's parents said in their joint statement.
"Diamond Ranch Academy is now able to continue accepting unknowing students with naive parents, so that the owners of Diamond Ranch Academy can continue to earn profits from the misfortunes of its students and their parents. We intend to continue to pursue all avenues to hold Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for her death to make sure this does not happen to other innocent teens and their families," the parents' statement continues.
