Inmate’s family sues Oregon following her flu death

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The family of an Oregon woman who died from complications of the flu while in prison has sued the state, claiming she would likely be alive if prison officials had given her a flu shot.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the family of 53-year-old Tina Ferri filed the $7.5 million lawsuit Monday in Washington County Circuit Court.

Ferri died in mid-January during a flu outbreak at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.

The lawsuit says officials bought 519 flu shots for a prison population of 1,645 inmates.

Attorney Michael Fuller says the prison appeared to only use about 300 of the shots, which seemed to be mostly administered after symptoms started appearing.

State Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jennifer Black declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com