{"id":4209,"date":"2026-08-26T21:09:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4209"},"modified":"2026-08-26T21:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:09:24","slug":"colorado-inmate-who-lost-leg-while-incarcerated-at-corecivic-prison-files-negligence-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4209","title":{"rendered":"Colorado inmate who lost leg while incarcerated at CoreCivic prison files negligence lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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An inmate who lost his leg while incarcerated at a rural prison in southern Colorado last year was denied adequate medical care for days, a new lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n

Read more Missing 13-year-old girl last seen in north Denver<\/a><\/p>\n

Paul Knuth first alerted employees at the Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas to \u201cdebilitating\u201d pain in his right foot on June 23, 2025, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. But Knuth wasn\u2019t sent to the hospital for four days \u2014 at which point doctors had to amputate his leg to save his life, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n

Knuth declared a medical emergency three times over three separate days before receiving treatment at a hospital, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

The nurse who evaluated Knuth the first two times accused him of trying to fake an illness to get off work and told Knuth that his lab results were normal, despite tests pointing to an infection, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit alleges negligence and violations of Knuth\u2019s Eighth Amendment rights from that nurse; a prison physician assistant involved in Knuth\u2019s care; CoreCivic, which operates the private prison; and the Bent County Board of Commissioners, which chose to subcontract with CoreCivic.<\/p>\n

Once at the hospital, doctors diagnosed Knuth with MRSA, which can quickly become life-threatening or fatal when left untreated, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter additional surgeries and several weeks of grueling rehab, Mr. Knuth was returned to prison with a permanent disability, caused by an eminently treatable infection that was ignored until it nearly killed him,\u201d the lawsuit stated.<\/p>\n

MRSA can spread quickly in crowded and unsanitary living spaces, like jails and prisons, the lawsuit alleges. It\u2019s transmitted by contact with infected people or things that they\u2019ve touched, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Medical staff at the prison failed to order antibiotics or rapid-screening tests for MRSA, despite Knuth\u2019s \u201cobviously serious and escalating symptoms of infection,\u201d the lawsuit alleges. They cut corners and tried to save time because of CoreCivic\u2019s policies and practices, which the lawsuit calls \u201cdeliberately indifferent to inmates\u2019 serious medical needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

CoreCivic understaffs its detention facilities and often fails to respond quickly to medical emergencies or monitor inmates\u2019 ongoing illnesses, the lawsuit alleges. Its policies directly contributed to Knuth\u2019s pain and loss of limb, the lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n

Read more Summer samplings uncover no new zebra mussels in Colorado River system, but the battle wages on<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2025, the year Knuth was injured, Bent County was assessed more than $162,000 in damages for CoreCivic\u2019s staffing deficiencies at the correctional facility, the lawsuit alleges. That number was \u201cadjusted\u201d down from an initial assessment of more than $340,000.<\/p>\n

The county was aware of the prison\u2019s chronic understaffing and failed to act or terminate its contract with CoreCivic, the lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n

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The Bent County Board of Commissioners did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

One of the prison\u2019s nurses previously threatened to write up a patient for seeking medical care after getting cut on the neck in the kitchen, telling him \u201cwe are short staffed as it is!\u201d according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

The private prison company is also under fire for the deaths of Charles Gates and Michael Fisher, who were killed on June 6 inside the Bent County Correctional Facility. Gates\u2019 mother said her son\u2019s death was the result of a \u201cprofound failure\u201d by CoreCivic.<\/p>\n

That lawsuit, filed separately in Denver District Court, also alleges that the prison failed to maintain adequate staffing and took too long to call for medical aid.<\/p>\n

Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, said the company does not comment on specific allegations in pending litigation. The company\u2019s facilities, including the Bent County prison, \u201coperate pursuant to contractual requirements, applicable laws and regulations, correctional standards, and oversight by our government partners,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe health, safety, and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is a top priority,\u201d Gustin said in a statement. \u201c\u2026We take all concerns regarding the care and treatment of those in our facilities seriously and review such matters through appropriate processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Denver Water bans lawn watering starting in October as drought saps streams, reservoirs<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a developing story and may be updated.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul Knuth was denied adequate medical care for days after alerting employees at the Bent County Correctional Facility to \u201cdebilitating\u201d pain in his right foot, according to a lawsuit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nColorado inmate who lost leg while incarcerated at CoreCivic prison files negligence lawsuit - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4209\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colorado inmate who lost leg while incarcerated at CoreCivic prison files negligence lawsuit - 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