The Kenner City Council requested a jury trial in connection with a wrongful death suit by relatives of a woman who died in police custody. The incident occurred in January 2005 when the victim stopped to help a bicyclist who had collided with a vehicle. The victim was a licensed physician and neurologist, and the bicyclist was semi-conscious when she attempted to render aid.
When police arrived on the accident scene, they told her to move away from the injured bicyclist. She told officers she was a doctor and that she could help the bicyclist. According to the family’s complaint, an officer grabbed her, slammed her into a parked car and slammed her to the ground. An officer sat on her back and placed her in handcuffs.
She sat unattended to in the back of a police car when another officer noticed her foaming at the mouth and unresponsive. The arresting officer locked the car doors had to return to the vehicle so they could check on her. She died in the back of the squad car from cardiac arrest. The family accuses the officers of false arrest and excessive force.
A New Orleans injury lawyer can handle any type of wrongful death lawsuit. A free and confidential case review is available with a New Orleans attorney if a loved one loses his or her life due to another person’s negligence.