A South Carolina woman, who was jailed for failing to pay court fines, died the next day because she was deprived of water, according to her family’s attorney.

Joyce Curnell, 50, was found dead in the jail, a day after being taken from the hospital, where she had been treated for a stomach illness.

Curnell was too sick to eat or call for help, according to court documents. She vomited all night and couldn’t make it to a bathroom, therefore jailers gave her a trash bag, reports thePost and Courier. In addition, some medical staffers ignored the jail officials’ requests to tend to her, the documents claim.

The woman’s family filed a notice to sue the jail’s medical contractor for malpractice. The filing cited expert opinion from a local doctor, who said Curnell’s death “more likely than not” would have been prevented if she had been properly treated for gastroenteritis and dehydration.

The family attorney, James Moore III, said in a statement that her death resulted from a “deliberate failure.”
“Providing access to reasonable medical care to those under police custody is a necessity, not a privilege,” Moore said. “It is a constitutional right. We are committed to seeking justice for Joyce and for her family.”