Many police officers are starting to openly criticize the use of Tasers against suspects. While Taser International adamantly insists that their devices are completely safe, many police officers now have first-hand knowledge to the contrary.
Nick Dial is a police officer who volunteered to be Tasered during his precinct’s Taser Training class. At the training, officers were shown a video produced by Taser International explaining how the device works and who it can be administered on. According to Dial, the video claims that there has never been an incident of serious injury or death resulting from a Taser, and that it can be used on anyone, including pregnant women. After his personal experience, Dial has come to question this claim.
One Taser blast was administered to Dial for three seconds. Afterwards, he was in considerable pain, experiencing throbbing in his back and difficulty breathing. When the pain failed to go away after a few days, Dial was examined by a spinal surgeon, who performed an MRI. The doctor didn’t discover any noticeable damage, and only recommended physical therapy. However, the therapy did not alleviate his back pain.
One month later, Dial started getting severe headaches and dizzy spells as well. He felt like he was consistently in a fog, and his normally outgoing personality was gone. He was much more reserved. More than two years later, Dial’s problems still persist, and have gotten much worse. He was evaluated by an endocrinologist who informed him that his adrenal gland was no longer functioning properly, and that it is very likely that the Taser was responsible for this, as well as other damage to his nervous system.
Nick Dial is not the only police officer to have suffered injuries as the result of a Taser. Many officers around the country have had similar experiences. Many have filed product liability lawsuits against Taser International, claiming that the company has untruthfully marketed the device as safe and non-lethal, when evidence clearly contradicts this statement.
If you have suffered an injury from a Taser in the Denver, Colorado area, please contact the law offices of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. today to schedule an initial consultation.
