A police officer in the US who volunteered to be the subject of a Taser demonstration has suffered possibly lasting damage, including spine fractures after receiving a five-second discharge, according to a respected medical journal.
The 38-year-old victim was rushed by ambulance to hospital where a scan showed he suffered compression fractures in his spine caused by muscle spasms triggered by being Tasered in a training class.
Nine weeks after his injury he has continued to report significant pain.
The officer's doctor, James Winslow, MD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina said: 'In this case, the pain continued for a long time, leading the patient to reduce his work hours significantly.'
The case has now entered medical literature after being written up in the eminent American College of Emergency Physicians journal which released the details.
Supt Charlie Hill, staff officer to the ACPO police use of firearms working group, said the case underlined the need to move with caution until more can be discovered about the potential side effects of using Tasers.
Taserare ti fa male
