Interesting article, it seems like a problem that they could fix.
“At least five other people or their families have alleged they were harmed in the back of a police van since 1997, with several winning judgments or settling with police. Three were paralyzed by the ride, according to a recent review by The Baltimore Sun.
In one case, a 43-year-old plumber arrested for public urination was handcuffed and put in a van in good health but emerged a quadriplegic. He told his doctor he was not buckled into his seat and after a sharp turn he was “violently thrown around the back of the vehicle as [police officers] drove in an aggressive fashion,” according to a lawsuit.
The man died two weeks later of pneumonia caused by his paralysis, and his family initially won a $7.4 million award after a jury agreed three officers were negligent. It was reduced to $219,000 by Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals because state law caps such payouts.”
Then reduced again when the lawyers receive their fees.