Family of man who died at V.A. Hospital wins judgement

The family of a man who died at the V-A Hospital in Knoxville has won its case against the facility. After being found wandering nearby, 51-year-old Bill Thayer was admitted to the Knoxville V-A in mid-1999. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. After less than a week, the hospital says Thayer was involved in a fight with several employees after being denied a cigarette. It took several orderlies to subdue him and two reportedly sat on his back for a few minutes, during which he stopped breathing — and later died. Now, Thayer’s family is being awarded more than 192-thousand dollars in damages.