The shocking truth

Every time there is an incident involving an injury caused by a Taser, the company vociferously denies any connection between its oh so safe device and its results. No matter what happens, it's always someone or something else's fault. But the cases keep trickling in. The Indianapolis Star for last Friday reported that

[a] Taser stun gun used on an Indiana man by a Chicago police officer this year caused the 54-year-old man's death, though drug use was also a contributing factor, the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

Ronald Hasse received a five-second electrical burst from the Taser, followed by a 57-second charge, Dr. Scott Denton, a deputy medical examiner, said Thursday.

A 57-second charge? A 57-second charge? That's not "stunning" someone, that's not "subduing" someone, that borders on, if it doesn't cross the line right over into, outright torture.

Taser International jumped on the autopsy's conclusion that Hasse had an extremely high level of methamphetamines in his blood; a company PR flack said he was "bewildered" that the drugs weren't listed as the cause of death. But

[t]he drug probably would not have killed Hasse without getting "pushed over the edge" by the stun gun jolts, Denton said.

And the simple fact is that despite the high level of speed, Hasse didn't die until he was shocked.

Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline stopped the distribution of an additional 200 Tasers after Hasse died. He did not halt the use of the weapons by police, however. ...

Meanwhile, officials in the suburban Chicago community of Dolton initiated a federal class action lawsuit alleging Taser misled them with campaigns emphasizing the stun gun's safety.

The lawsuit filed in Chicago last week contends the device has never been "adequately or independently tested" and has been involved in deaths around the nation.

The village wants a refund of the $8,572 it spend on the Tasers, the lawsuit says.

Good for them and let's hope they are able to carry this through to victory.