SENECA COUNTY - A former inmate at Five Points State Prison in Romulus has been awarded nearly $16 million after a state Court of Claims judge ruled that doctors failed to diagnose a condition which led to him becoming a quadriplegic -complete paralysis from the neck down.
Judge Diane Fitzpatrick ruled doctors should have known that Sergio Black's spinal column was collapsing, and that he needed immediate emergency surgery. Black hurt his spine while playing basketball.
Black was at Five Points serving a 10-year sentence for raping a former girlfriend, a charge he denies. A former Marine, Black will be released in 10 months; he's now incarcerated at qated Mohawk Correctional Facility in Oneida County, which has one of the best prison hospitals in the state.
