A 26-year-old man in Ohio was revived by paramedics after his girlfriend accidentally shot him with a Taser while he was driving, causing a car accident.
According to a report by Berea police, the man was accidentally struck in the head and neck by a Taser fired from the front seat passenger. Local news site Cleveland.com reported the 26-year-old woman in the passenger seat was the man's girlfriend.
The apparent girlfriend from Olmsted Falls reportedly told police that she was carrying the Taser in her purse for protection purposes. As the two were driving, with three young girls in the back of the car, the Taser fell from her purse, falling onto the floor of the car.
She proceeded to pick up the Taser and accidentally fired it while placing it into the car's glove compartment, according to Cleveland.com.
The police report states that the man lost control of the vehicle as a consequence, and struck a tree on the treelawn at the intersection of Westridge Drive and Elmwood Drive.
When emergency services arrived, the man was found unconscious with probes from the Taser lodged into his head and neck.
Paramedics were able to revive the man who reportedly recounted to police that he and his girlfriend had not argued prior to the accident. He was later treated at the Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights.
Taser guns do not usually leave long-term health effects, with injuries from falls during muscle incapacitation being expected instead.
Unlike this case of a car accident, spine injuries are common and fractures and dislocations may also occur secondary to intense muscular contractions, according to an Emergency Medical News article.
Studies have shown that Tasers are also able to hinder cognitive ability for the time immediately after being shot, but that such effects disappear after a short while.
However, contrary to previous belief, a 2012 article in the Circulation journal suggested that electrical shocks from Tasers are able to cause irregular heart rhythms, and in some cases, send people into cardiac arrest.
In 2010, the company behind Taser guns told CNN that while cardiac arrests in people are rare, Taser insists it does not claim a "zero" possibility of cardiac arrest.
Earlier this year, a Florida police officer was terminated from his role after "wrongly" using his taser during an arrest in June 2021, according to multiple reports.
The officer, according to his own chief, tased a man in a wheelchair four times.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
