A review is currently in the process from the U.S. Justice Department where the deaths of 180 people from the electro-shock of stun guns in the police force. The review was proposed last year, and is expected to last through until next year. It is initially focusing on 30 deaths. Although most of the deaths being studied were within the past four years, one of the cases studied occurred twenty years ago.
The study will be enlisting the help of such organizations as the American College of Pathologists, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Association of Medical Examiners. Investigators are aiming to study a variety of factors which could result in death due to stun gun use, such as weight, age, drug use, and the phenomena of ‘excited delirium’, wherein the bodily functions shut down due to sensory overload.
The company in charge of mass producing the stun guns to American police agencies, Taser International, has marketed their products as a safer alternative to lethal force, saving the lives of police and suspect alike. Despite this claim, Taser faces 49 lawsuits claiming wrongful death or personal injury, with another 20 lawsuits dismissed.
If you or someone you know has been injured due to a defective product, or suffered from a wrongful death, please feel free to contact a personal injury lawyer such as Marc Whitehead of Houston, Texas.
