Marine with PTSD "escaped Naval hospital" beginning chain of events

Navy Hospital Sued for Bizarre Accident
Courthouse News Service
By DAN MCCUE
July 25, 2013

BEAUFORT, S.C. (CN) - A U.S. Naval Hospital in South Carolina allowed a Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder to escape, get naked and steal a city fire engine, with which he seriously injured another driver, the hurt man claims in court.

Plaintiff Jonas Armstrong claims that Kalvin Hunt, the former Marine corporal who caused the accident, was drummed out of the service in April 2011 after a court-martial in which he was found guilty of assault, communicating a threat, resisting arrest, and other charges.

Armstrong sued Case Pro Inc.; the U.S. Naval Hospital in Beaufort, S.C.; the United States, and the South Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs, in Federal Court. Kalvin Hunt is not a defendant.

According to the lawsuit, on Feb. 24, 2012, Hunt's grandmother called Beaufort County Veterans Affairs Officer Edward Ray to report that her grandson was acting erratically and making threats.

"As the Veterans Affairs officer in Beaufort, Edward Ray was familiar with Kalvin Hunt's disability, prior history of threats and conditions, and based on this information of renewed threats, arranged to meet his grandmother and Kalvin Hunt to evaluate his condition and determine the level of hospitalization required," Armstrong says in the lawsuit.
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Here is more of the story

Motorist struck by stolen fire truck sues Beaufort, Port Royal
Beaufort Gazette
By PATRICK DONOHUE
Published: May 26, 2012

A Beaufort resident injured in a crash in February with a stolen Port Royal firetruck is suing the city and the town of Port Royal, alleging firefighters acted improperly when they left the truck running and unattended while responding to a medical call.

An attorney for Beaufort, however, says responsibility for the wreck ultimately lies with officials at Naval Hospital Beaufort for allowing Kalvin Hunt, a Marine accused of stealing the truck, to flee from the facility.

Jonas Armstrong of Beaufort filed a lawsuit in March against Beaufort, Port Royal, the Beaufort fire department and Hunt. Armstrong's leg was badly injured and his 1998 Dodge SUV was totaled when it was hit Feb. 24 by the firetruck as Hunt made an illegal U-turn on Ribaut Road, the filing said.

Hunt struck six vehicles and killed a pedestrian after stealing the truck from firefighters working at Laurel Bay apartments, according to authorities.
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