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MyGodItsFullOfClowns t1_iy69czl wrote

Reply to comment by silasmoeckel in 5-officers-to-be-charged-for-involvement-in-arrest-that-left-new-haven-man-paralyzed by NLCmanure

The driver was also speeding which was definitely a contributing factor. Speed limits suck but if we have to obey them those that enforce them do too.

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silasmoeckel t1_iy8jzc2 wrote

Nearly 30 years ago built parts of a system that would track state police cars while working for the DOT. Unions fought it so it was never implemented, it would have flagged any car speeding without it's lights on or sitting about but not checked out as off patrol. Cops speed a LOT, they also seem to sit in strange parking lots for hours.

That all said dont think that 11mph made the difference in the guy getting paralyzed.

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DicNavis t1_iy8mntq wrote

I want to know why he had to stop that hard. Was he distracted somehow and reacted late?

11 MPH is a much bigger deal in a large van with an unrestrained person in the back than it is in a passenger car, though. Source: have driven ambulances and been the unrestrained person working in the back.

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silasmoeckel t1_iy93koo wrote

I have no way of knowing. But dont think anybody can say conclusively if they were only going 11mph slower this would not have happened. Other police forces have delt with the same issue and went lets outfit vehicals in a safe manner.

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DicNavis t1_iy974ie wrote

It’s a hard case to argue that it was criminally negligent, but the differences between 25 and 36, 30 and 41 in those types of vehicles are considerable in comparison to a passenger car where everyone is seated and restrained. Just that little bit of speeding greatly increased the likelihood of having to make a hard stop, and like I said, I’m still very suspicious that the officer was either distracted or following too closely or something.

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MyGodItsFullOfClowns t1_iy8op5r wrote

It's impossible to prove absolutely but injuries are funny that way, the difference between a bruise and death is the force of the hit.

In this case you are talking kinetic energy. The formula to figure it out is .5mv^2 and 35 mph is twice the energy as 25 mph.

At 25 the cop imight have been able to brake softer. Even if he still had to slam the brakes Cox might have kept his seat. Even if he didn't hitting the wall with half the energy might have been only a bruise. Watch the video, he flew into it.

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silasmoeckel t1_iy932o8 wrote

End of the day the root cause was a poorly designed vehicle with well known issues. I would not particularly fault the driver, not to the extent of something criminal.

Now what happened after, not seeking care for the prisoner and what happened at the lock up I can fault them for and that realy exceeds a couple misdemeanor counts they are currently charging them with.

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MyGodItsFullOfClowns t1_iybcsxe wrote

What happened after goes to state of mind. The driver just DGAF if Cox was injured. If he had rushed to aid and called and ambulance and such it would have shown it was absolutely an accident but the repeated disregard for Cox shows the driver just didn't care.

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silasmoeckel t1_iycp7ih wrote

I look at it as thus the city should be on the hook for paralysing the guy it's their vehicle without basic safety devices.

These guys are guilty of mistreating a badly injured prisoner after that and should lose their jobs over it.

I dont like how it looking that they want to pile the blame on the cops to give the city an out.

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