Wrongful death lawsuit filed by family of man who died following injury in prison
By Jack Thurston
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BURLINGTON, Vermont (WPTZ) — A Chittenden County mother is suing the Vermont Department of Corrections and its medical providers following the death of her son in state custody.
“I miss him so much,” Lisa Steadman said of her son, 40-year-old Jayson Colebaugh.
According to a new lawsuit, Colebaugh was a Type 1 diabetic who was suffering from a dramatic drop in blood sugar in March of 2025 when he fell out of the top bunk in his cell at Northern State Correctional Facility. The next month, Colebaugh died from the head injury that resulted from the fall.
On Monday, Colebaugh’s mother and other family members told reporters that the death never should have happened. They announced the filing of a civil lawsuit that claims Jayson did not receive the medical care he needed for his diabetes. The suit also alleges the correctional facility failed to give Colebaugh a pass guaranteeing him a bottom bunk, despite his risk of seizures.
“Jay’s injury was preventable,” Steadman said. “Instead, they created an environment that put him in danger, and ultimately, took his life.”
The lawsuit filed late on March 1 asks for a jury trial and financial damages, according to Steadman’s attorney, David Rankin of the New York City law firm Beldock Levine & Hoffman.
NBC5 News reached out to the Vermont Department of Corrections for a response to the newly filed lawsuit.
“Per standard practice, the Department does not comment on ongoing litigation and, under federal law, cannot release information about someone’s medical care without a Release of Information,” Haley Sommer, the director of communications and legislative affairs for the department, wrote in an email to NBC5 News.
In his obituary, Colebaugh’s family said he struggled with substance use disorder. Monday, Rankin said Jayson was behind bars at the time of his fall on an alleged probation violation.
“I will fight for Jay and for his family, and for all the inmates and their families that are at the mercy of a broken system,” Steadman said, remembering her son as handsome, funny, helpful, and someone she very much enjoyed spending time with.
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