A police taser is designed to send 50,000 volts through the target’s body, so long-term health complications are always possible. In fact, even death from the electrical shock is a potential risk for the target. A closer look at the statistical and medical facts should help us better understand the permanent health risks associated with Taser shots.
Health Risks Of Being Tased By The Police
Do People Die From Taser Injuries?
Between 2010 and 2023, well over 500 people were killed after being tased by the police in the United States. That number may not seem too high, considering the 13-year timeline. However, that perception is misleading because Tasers were introduced to save lives. They were meant to provide the police with a nonlethal alternative to guns whenever possible. In other words, almost everyone who died after being tased by the police was not supposed to.
How Common Are Taser-Related Permanent Injuries?
One might be surprised to know that thousands of the people who live after being tasered continue to suffer from serious aftereffects indefinitely. These aftereffects range from lasting nerve and brain damage to partial paralysis, seizures, and permanent heart damage. People may also die from the long-term aftereffects of taser shots without even knowing that to be the fact.
Why Do Tasers Cause Serious Injuries And Death?
Technically, the risk of death from being tased should be negligible, with minimal chance of a taser causing permanent damage. However, there are multiple reasons why that is not the case in real life. For example, in cases of taser-related injuries and death, permanent damage is often due to police officers using excessive force.
Either the target was hit with multiple bolts from different taser guns, or the same taser or stun gun repeatedly jolted them. Note that such instances of serious injury caused by improper Taser usage by the police are subject to legal action. Excessive damage from taser bolts can also result from equipment malfunction, faulty design, poor maintenance, and the target’s medical vulnerability to tasers.
Are Some People At A Higher Risk Of Permanent Damage From Tasers?
The target’s chances of suffering from severe injuries and death from taser bolts are significantly elevated if any one or more of the factors below are present:
- Diagnosed or undiagnosed heart disease
- Diagnosed or undiagnosed neurological disease
- Diagnosed or undiagnosed neuropsychological disease
- The solitary or combined influence of alcohol, certain prescription drugs, certain illegal drugs, and certain other psychoactive substances
There are recorded instances of people getting seriously injured or dying after being tased, even when none of the above factors could be confirmed.
Ventricular Fibrillation
Heart failure is the leading final cause of taser-related deaths. In most instances of taser-related lethal and nonlethal cardiac arrest, it is preceded by ventricular fibrillation. By definition, ventricular fibrillation is a potentially fatal medical emergency where the ventricles of the affected individual’s heart flutter arrhythmically and insufficiently instead of pumping blood like they are supposed to.
Given that ventricular fibrillation is essentially a result of abnormal electrical signals in the heart, 50,000 volts of electrical shock certainly has the potential to induce such an effect. As mentioned, if the target already suffers from a heart condition, their risk of suffering from a ventricular fibrillation event after being tased is considerably higher than average.
End Note
As more people continue to get seriously injured and even die from taser injuries, the authorities must look closer at what tasers and stun guns can do to the human body. If you have been tased yourself, it’s best to go for a health checkup as soon as possible to avoid future complications.
