TENNESSEE (WTVF-NASHVILLE BANNER) — The Department of Justice’s investigation of Trousdale Turner is now prompting some former staff to tell their stories, including a female guard so badly beaten by an inmate in 2020 that she’s never been able to work again.
“I had a brain bleed. I was in a coma. I had a broken jaw, broken nose, crushed eye socket, crushed sinuses, collapsed lungs. They had to intubate me twice. I mean, his intent was to kill me.”
The former guard, whose identity we have protected, is just now talking about what happened to her. She was among the first wave of new guards at the prison when it opened in 2016. She’s undergone at least four surgeries and is worried about millions in medical bills, her declining credit and ultimately losing her home.
This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys - young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team's success has stolen the spotlight - what I love about Steve Layman's story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, "we all have scuff marks." This team proves perseverance pays off!
- Carrie Sharp
