According to sources from The Independent (source), an investigation is underway after a police officer accidentally discharged a Taser weapon in to a man’s groin! How this has happened, I don’t know! The 50,000 volt weapon narrowly missed 46 year old Peter Cox’s genitals after the officer appeared to have inadvertently fired the weapon whilst lowering it. A shocking story – with absolutely no pun intended at all!
Mr Cox has since sought legal advice (and rightly so) after he was pulled over by the officer on suspicion of driving the BMW he was in without insurance. Mr Cox, as any law abiding citizen would, pulled the vehicle to the side of the road near a friend’s house after noticing he was being followed by the patrol car. The officer proceeded to exit the police vehicle and aim the weapon towards him. The officer reportedly pointed the weapon at him for just a few seconds before lowering it and discharging the weapon, hitting his groin and ankle. He subsequently fell to the ground in agony and was later treated by paramedics at the scene.
The report goes on to say that he denies being aggressive towards the officer, and the insurance company has confirmed he had valid insurance at the time of the incident. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police has since confirmed that: “On Tuesday morning officers stopped a man in Bridgwater suspected to be driving a vehicle without insurance. The man appeared to become aggressive and the officer removed his Taser in accordance with protocol. On lowering the Taser it was accidentally discharged.” He went on to advise that police are looking in to the incident.
Whether or not Mr Cox is found to have been aggressive at the time of the incident, the fact that the Taser was accidentally discharged is not acceptable. The Taser was in the process of being lowered; therefore it’s safe to assume that the officer felt it did not require use, and Mr Cox’s actions couldn’t have been aggressive enough to warrant its use. But either way, it was accidentally fired; and there could be a claim for negligence here.
I’m not an expert on Tasers myself; however it is a safe assumption to make that this could have been potentially a heck of a lot worse had the Taser actually hit Mr Cox in the genitals. I expect that police have to undergo stringent training in the use of such weapons, primarily to avoid incidents such as this. So this incident should have been avoided, and its concerning that it has happened at all.
For specialist advice on claiming for compensation for negligence, speak to an expert personal injury lawyer for a comprehensive chat on your options.