LAWSUIT: Health clinic employees punched 13-year-old, broke his arm

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCSC) - A Georgetown behavioral health center is being called to court after a lawsuit says employees dragged a 13-year-old boy, punched him and broke his arm.

The lawsuit, says the teen has autism, ADHD, anxiety disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

Court documents filed against Broadstep Behavioral Health in Georgetown in Jan. 2022 say the teen was having a breakdown because he was hungry but was instead forced to go to bed.

The lawsuit claims when a Broadstep staff member was trying to get the teen to his room, he hit her. Three employees then grabbed the boy, dragged him across the floor, the suit says, and then pulled him down the stairs while taunting him. The documents say the workers also shoved his face into a pillow and punched him during the April 2021 incident.

The paperwork goes on to say a worker pulled the boy’s arm behind his back until hearing an audible “pop.” The boy said his arm was broken, and the lawsuit says he was diagnosed and treated for that exact injury.

When his mother had not heard from him for a while, the suit says she used the “find my iPad” feature on her phone to find that her son was in the hospital. The lawsuit claims she had no idea and that Broadstep staff did not notify her or the department of social services about the injury.

The teen is scheduled to have a dispute resolution with Broadstep on Aug. 1, 2022, according to the Georgetown County Court website.

That could include mediation or negotiation, among other things.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.