A man who was paralyzed from the chest down in the back of a police van has reached a $45 million settlement with the city of New Haven, Connecticut.
Randy Cox, now 36, was left with paralysis on 19 June, 2022 after he was arrested by police on charges of threatening a woman with a gun - charges which were later dismissed.
According to AP, the man had been in the back of a police van with his hands cuffed behind his back but without a seatbelt and when the van braked sharply he was sent head-first into a metal partition.
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Footage from the incident showed him lying on the floor of the police van and unable to rise again as he told officers: "I can't move. I'm going to die like this. Please, please, please help me."
When the police van arrived at the station surveillance cameras and bodycam footage appeared to show that officers mocked Cox and accused him of faking his injuries.
Unable to move, he was dragged out of the police van by his feet and put in a holding cell before being transferred to hospital.
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Last year, he launched a $100 million lawsuit against the police officers and the city of New Haven, with an agreement for a $45 million settlement reached on the evening of Friday, 9 June.
"The city’s mistakes have been well documented," attorneys for Cox said in a statement following the settlement.
"But today is a moment to look to the future, so New Haven residents can have confidence in their city and their police department."
Legislation which would require all prisoners being transported to be wearing seat belts recently passed the state Senate.
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New Haven city mayor Justin Elicker said at a news conference on Saturday (10 June) that he'd spoken with Cox's mother about the settlement.
He said: "Randy entered a police transport vehicle being able to walk, and now he’s not able to walk.
"What I shared with her is that while this settlement cannot bring Randy back to his original state when he entered that police transport vehicle, that my hope is that it provides Randy the future medical support and other support that he will need."
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"Randy’s 36 years old, and we hope he has a long life ahead of him with the kind of support and care that he deserves."
Five police officers were charged with second degree reckless endangerment and cruelty over the treatment that Cox received which resulted in him becoming paralyzed.
All five have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, while two were recently fired.
Joe Harker