Summit County, Ohio medical examiner Lisa J. Kohler cited Taser use as a cause of death in three cases, Mark D. McCullaugh, Dennis S. Hyde, and Richard Holcomb.
Taser International sued, and on May 2, 2008, visiting judge Ted Schneiderman ordered the medical examiner to remove all references to "Taser" in the reports and change the cause of death in McCullaugh's case from "Homicide" to "Undetermined."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser_safety_issues#Deaths_and_injuries_related_to_Taser_use
For the first time, amid continuing controversy and lawsuits over use of Tasers, a scientific, peer-reviewed study released this week shows the electronic stun guns can cause cardiac arrest and death....the American Heart Association's premier journal, Circulation, published an article online Monday that examined eight cases involving the TASER X26 ECD. Seven of the people died.
Dr. Douglas Zipes, of Indiana University's Krannert Institute of Cardiology, found that a shock from the Taser "can cause cardiac electric capture and provoke cardiac arrest" as a result of an abnormally rapid heart rate and uncontrolled, fluttering contractions.
A spokesman for the devices' manufacturer, Taser International Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., assailed Zipes' conclusions. Steve Tuttle pointed out that the study looked at only a handful of cases "and he argued that broader conclusions shouldn't be drawn based upon such a limited sample.
Since 2001, more than 500 people have died following Taser stuns according to Amnesty International, which said in February that stricter guidelines for Taser use were "imperative." But in only a few dozen cases, medical examiners have ruled that the Taser contributed to the death. In some cases, other factors, such as drug use and prior medical conditions, also played roles.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-02/taser-study-deaths/54688110/1
Possibly because TASER sues if medical examiners try to do their jobs.
Analysis: Taser-related deaths in US accelerating
A 2008 report (PDF) from Amnesty International found 351 Taser-related deaths in the US between June, 2001 and August, 2008, a rate of just slightly above four deaths per month.
A database of Taser-related deaths maintained at the African-American issues blog Electronic Village counts 96 deaths related to the use of Tasers since January, 2009....that indicates the death rate has increased to an average of five per month.
Amnesty International notes that efforts to determine the lethality of Tasers are being frustrated by the weapon’s manufacturer, Taser International.
“Medical studies so far on the effects of Tasers have either been limited in scope or unduly influenced by the weapons’ primary manufacturer,” the group states.
“Given the unresolved safety concerns, Amnesty International recommends that police departments either suspend the use of Tasers and stun guns pending further safety research or limit their use to situations where officers would otherwise be justified in resorting to firearms,” Amnesty says.
Source: Raw Story (http://s.tt/1d8nR)
= new reply since forum marked as read
