A man in Washington State was determined to have died from a broken neck after being tasered by sheriff’s deputies. When he fell, he suffered the spinal injuryand died a week later, at the age of 68.
The Washington man was shot with the taser only after a stand-off of several hours. The man fell when struck by the taser and it was then that he broke his neck. The Sherriff’s Office maintains the deputies all acted according to policy and the broken neck was simply a terrible and completely unforeseen accident.
The medical examiner told officials that the official cause of death was, in fact, spinal cord injury due to cervical spine fractures caused by blunt face and neck injury.
It all started when the Washington man barricaded himself inside a 5th wheel trailer after an altercation with his landlord. The deputies shot the man with a taser after attempting negotiations with between the suspect, his wife, and the Undersherriff. Finally, he was tasered and collapsed to the ground, breaking his neck. The deputies then cuffed him.
The authorities explained that it is policy to secure anyone who may be a threat. Once it was realized how seriously the man was injured the handcuffs were removed immediately.
The Sherriff expressed his condolences to the man’s family and counselors are being brought to help the deputies deal with the aftermath of the tragic accident. Sources do not yet know if the Washington man’s wife will take any legal action.
Authorities in Manhattan and Queens are taking note and following situations like this one.
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