Post-ictal and TASERED

[Birdbomb]

‘Blake is having a seizure, and they’re hurting him’
10:28 AM CDT on Sunday, May 18, 2008
By Donna Fielder / Staff Writer

Blake Dwyer remembers pain:

The agonizing burn of electrical shock.

DRC/Gary Payne
Blake Dwyer, 17, of Shady Shores, had an epileptic seizure while at a friend's house in Corinth last July 18. After he came out of his seizure he became panicked and terrified because of a condition known as postictal psychosis. Paramedics head tied him down to a gurney, but in his panicked condition, he hit a paramedic, which led Corinth police to use a Taser on him. His brother, Trvavis Baker, 17, tried to stop in to calm him down during this but he was told to get out of the way.
View larger Photo store And shouting.

And fear.

“I thought a swarm of wasps was after me,” the 17-year-old Guyer High School athlete said. “I was trying to fight them off.”

He doesn’t remember the epileptic seizure he suffered July 18, 2007, when he was 16.

He doesn’t remember fighting to keep from being tied to a stretcher or hitting a paramedic.

His brother, Travis Baker, 17, remembers all of it. He recalls screaming at Corinth police to stop shocking Blake with a Taser. His mother, Deana, remembers hearing Travis crying on the telephone.

“He was saying, ‘Blake is having a seizure, and they’re hurting him,’” she said.

And in case they should forget Blake’s experience, they have photographs of 12 separate sets of burns from the double posts of a Taser.

Corinth police did not respond to a message asking for comment about the incident. Corinth city attorney Michael Bucek won’t release records because the city expects litigation, he said. He did say there was no internal affairs investigation into the incident.



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This just steams my butt! How can people who are SUPPOSE to be HELPING not be aware. I run into this problem with my diabetic friend. WE are the care givers and WE are in the know of their medical situations but some EMTS are complete fools and asses when we try to explain. But to TASER this poor kid and LIE is inexcusable

[brain]

This is downright unacceptable! I hope he gets the
media attention on this. They've been getting awful
lot of media attention for their excessive abuse and
things I don't even want to post because it's so *sic*!

[alivenwell]

That's absolutely amazing! It just baffles me when I hear stories like that one. Where in the heck did those people get their Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and Automatic External De-fibrillation certification!?

One of the first things they tell the certified CPR/Automatic External Debrillation people is to listen, observe and make sure the patient seems OK. It's not a bad thing that somebody called 911. It is a bad thing that they couldn't handle this situation well. A taser definitely was out of line.

[LynnW]

IMHO, I think law enforcement is a little too tazer happy these days. There should be an investigation and suspension of duties for police every time they are used on someone, just like when someone is shot. Tazers are NOT completely harmless, especially if you don't know anything about the victim.

[skillefer]

What idiots......some people are just too tazer happy. My hubby is a cop...and he couldn't believe this story. Especially since the EMT was in effect responsible for getting hit....after all, who ever heard of tying someone to a gurney while they were seizing? The EMT's that I wake up to won't even let me sit up until I'm actually aware of what's going on and can answer their questions.

[epileric]

There is an inquiry into whether tasers should be legal into Canada since an immigrant died from being repeatedly tasered. Then other examples of inappropriate use started to surface. Personally I'm praying they get banned.

[skillefer]

Actually, I think that tasers have their place. Some people do not respond to mace/tear gas. But I think that before anyone should be allowed to use one, they should have to have one used on them. They need to know what harm it can inflict, and they need to realize that tasers can in fact kill.

[epileric]

A big part of the problem is the taser companys denial that they can kill & their assurances that they are safe. I like that medical doctors are testifying at this inquiry as to what a tasers effects really are

[LynnW]

But I think that before anyone should be allowed to use one, they should have to have one used on them.

I thought that this was already, in fact, a requirement for police officers to be able to carry and use tazers. Maybe not in every state?

The problem with this requirement is that the officers are generally in good health and are not in any kind of altered state of consciousness, having some kind of medical emergency, or whatever.

[skillefer]

Not in every state. Plus, you have to remember, the quality of training varies from state to state and even city to city.

[speber]

While the invention was a good idea maybe. It seems the tazer is being used more like a tv remote control these days...you know, instead of getting your hands dirty?

Tazing is now TOO EASY. I don't blame law enforcement, believe me...but they apprehended criminals in the past without tazers right? Can't someone (with some power) speak up and say "we might have goofed"...or "this wasn't the best solution afterall"?

[tinasmom]

What the police need is education on seizures!!!! If this happened during Senator Kennedy's seizures, would they have tazered him? I highly doubt it!

[CJR]

My daughter has the same Post-Ictal response as the young man in the story. It worries me to no end what would happen if she were to have that happen in public or school because of stories like this. I've warned the school but...They do NOT comprehend the severity of her situation.

While I am all for publicity that educates the public with the Truth about Epilepsy I don't know that I want news stories like these to be the ONLY way we get that publicity. We don't want to come across as financially motivated. Personally, I'd love for the lawsuit to include manditory seizure training for the entire police department, fire department, and EMTs instead of a large financial compensation towards the family.

Just my

[speber]

Personally, I'd love for the lawsuit to include manditory seizure training for the entire police department, fire department, and EMTs instead of a large financial compensation towards the family.

Here!...Here!