A Texas man’s family has sued the manufacturer of a Taser gun used by Marshall police after, they claimed, he died from too many shocks from the weapon during an incident in January 2013. Their wrongful death suit also includes the city, a former police chief and others. According to the legal action, the man was tased seven times when police responded to reports of a disturbance at a duplex apartment. Court records show that the man appeared to be agitated and was completely naked. When he allegedly acted aggressively toward police, he was hit with the electric current of the Taser.
The man was actually shocked several times by the weapon, according to the lawsuit, before being placed into a police cruiser. One officer is alleged to have made a comment that the man was under the influence of some kind of intoxicant. Police transported the man to the county jail facility, but upon arrival, they found him to be non-responsive. He was ultimately pronounced dead.
The lawsuit against the police alleged that they used excessive force and inflicted bodily injury through battery. The Taser manufacturer is also being sued for product liability related to the assembly and sale of what the action called a “defective and unreasonably dangerous” product. The company is also being taken to court for allegedly failing to adequately warn users about the danger of the shocks to people under the influences of alcohol or drugs.
The accidental death of a loved one, whether through excessive police force or a fatal car crash, can leave families wondering what to do. The U.S. justice system allows those close to someone lost in a fatal accident of any kind or due to a defective or dangerous product to bring suit for damages. Compensation may be sought for funeral expenses and loss of companionship among other damages.
