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Psychiatric Hospital Sued Over Apparent Suicide

Newark Police

NEWARK, Del. (AP) - The family of a man who hanged himself outside a Delaware psychiatric hospital says in a lawsuit that the hospital had turned him away one day earlier.

The Wilmington News-Journal reports the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims 38-year-old Clay McInnis III was denied admission to the Rockford Center on March 28, 2016. McInnis had a history of bipolar disorder and suicide attempts.

The lawsuit says McInnis had signed a hospital registration form stating he was a "danger to self/others." Hospital staff allegedly told McInnis to return the next day to begin an outpatient program. The next morning, he was found hanging from a tree outside the facility.

Plaintiff's attorney Randall Robbins says the family wants to know why McInnis wasn't admitted.

A hospital spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.