Taser Death: Wrongful Death Law

The taser used looks similar to everyday police officer’s firearm; however, the taser is a laser-sighted device, allegedly non-lethal device. Shot from the device are cartridges containing prongs or metal darts linked to the device with steel wiring. Through the darts, steel wiring, and the taser gun, fifty kilovolts of shock are sent into the subject’s body. This shock from a taser renders the motor functioning and sensory nervous systems of the subject useless. Even without the steel wiring and prongs, the device can be used in hand-to-hand confrontations for shocking a subject by touching the device.

Originally, tasers were used by law enforcement officers as a non-lethal alternative for subduing subjects, preventing subjects from hurting others, or for self-defense of the officer. The rules regarding the “necessary and reasonable” use of tasers, however, are open to opinion and seem to vary in nearly every situation. The majority of police departments painstakingly track taser use, and a summation of the use is provided:

Over ninety-three percent of Taser subjects are male, however, the ages of these males fall over a large age spectrum.
Over two-thirds of taser subjects confronting officers have been impaired, often severely, by alcohol, drugs, or a mental illness or delusion.
Nearly a quarter of taser subjects have been armed. A knife is the most frequent weapon of choice. (Among armed subjects, 42% have had knives, 17% have had guns, and 41% have had other weapons, including scissors, hatchets, broken bottles, lead pipes, shovels, stakes, and hypodermic needles.)

In some instances, however, the use of tasers may or may not be warranted or justified. In other cases, the excessive use of a taser in situations has lead to fatal or life-changing consequences. The lax and vague laws regarding taser use is seemingly inviting abuse by police and prison officials. A wrongful death lawyer can help those whose lives have been forever altered by the loss of a loved from taser death.

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