The family of actor Robert Carradine has sued the regents of the University of California following a suicide attempt while in the care of a UCLA psychiatric facility that ultimately led to his death, according to reports.
TheWrap reported on the lawsuit filed August 7th in Los Angeles County court, which alleged the UCLA facility left Carradine with a belt and rolling bedside table in a locked unit, contrary to standard procedures and the institution’s own policies, which he used in a suicide attempt. The facility also didn’t check on him every 15 minutes, the lawsuit was reported to claim. Carradine’s family claimed the facility’s actions led to his wrongful death and constituted elder abuse and neglect.
“Robert’s hopes for successful treatment didn’t match the reality he had stepped into. Instead of walking into a safe environment, he walked into a locked facility that broke a cardinal rule for a hospitalized psychiatric patient with active suicidal thoughts and a history of suicide attempts,” the legal filing said per TheWrap.
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Carradine attempted suicide 19 hours after being admitted into the UCLA facility, leading to him going unconscious from lack of oxygen and never recovering after five weeks in an intensive care unit, TheWrap reported from the complaint.
The actor died in February at 71 years old with Keith Carradine telling news sources that his brother struggled with bipolar disorder for two decades. “We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness,” the family said in a statement at the time.
Robert Carradine, a member of the Carradine Hollywood dynasty that includes John and David Carradine, is best remembered for his roles in 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds, the early 2000s Disney show Lizzie McGuire and 1980’s The Long Riders.