BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A former Whatcom County Jail inmate is suing the county for medical malpractice after his leg was amputated.

The lawsuit was filed against the county in Whatcom Superior Court last month.

The Northwest Regional Council, which provides health services for the jail, and two nurses are also named as defendants.

The man was originally taken into custody in September 2021 after smashing a stranger’s windshield with an ax and later pleaded guilty to an assault charge.

According to the complaint, the 53-year-old man claims that he developed a severe rash on his leg while in the jail. The lawsuit alleges he did not receive adequate treatment from jail staff despite his complaints and the wound worsened.

Two months later, the man complained about extreme pain in his left inner thigh, which had swelled to “twice the size” of his right thigh, and he was sent to the emergency room.

His left leg was amputated two days later.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of negligence and medical malpractice in not taking faster action to treat the man’s leg.

They have until Dec. 19 to respond to the suit.