Man Sues Stun-Gun Company and Wins $2.85M

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Florida residents who suffer injuries as a result of using defective or harmful products can hire a personal injury lawyer to fight for their rights. A manufacturer can often be held liable for injuries caused and a court will order a settlement to cover the cost of medical bills and other damages. One recent California case is a prime example of how product liability and personal injury cases get settled in the United States:

A California man who suffered brain damage after being stunned by a Taser gun was recently awarded $2.85 million for his injuries in a product liability lawsuit. The suit was filed after Steven Butler, 49, was shocked by the device nearly four years ago by a Watsonville, CA police officer. Butler was drunk at the time and off his psychiatric medication when officers used a Taser X-26 to subdue him after he wouldn’t get off a bus.

Butler went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. It took emergency medical personnel 18 minutes to revive him, and he subsequently suffered anoxic brain injury and debilitating brain damage. He currently needs round-the-clock care and can’t be left alone, according to his attorneys. He has no short-term memory or mobility, and his motor skills have decreased drastically as well.

Since the injury, Butler’s brother David has been caring for him. Part of the award in the settlement will be put towards a trust for the family, who is enduring more than $4,700 a month in medical and caretaking bills. Although the company didn’t admit liability, the case marks the first time Taser International has ever settled a product liability case, according to the San Jose Mercury News.