Isn't that the job of a medical examiner?  Well, not anymore! This article reports that Summit County Ohio Judge Ted Schneiderman ruled that he knows better than a physician when determining a cause of death.  I'm sorry, and he went to medical school where....?

So why would a Judge even be involved?  Well, it seems that a medical examiner in Akron, Ohio listed 'electrical pulse stimulation by taser' on the death certificate of three people in 3 separate incidents.  The Taser Corporation evidently does not like having their name on the death certificates of those three people any more than they do on over 300 other death certificates in the U.S. alone.  Taser sued the medical examiner and are asking that the cause of death to be changed.  The judge has ordered that the deaths be ruled accidental and any reference to homicide and electrical pulse stimulation be removed from the death certificates and autopsy reports.

Taser has been funding research into a previously unknown disorder called 'excited delirium', which they would very much prefer be listed as the cause of death.  There are some physicians who agree that this is what happens when a person dies immediately after being hit with an electrical impulse from a taser.  It turns out that many of these doctors might happen to receive grant money for research from Taser.  Imagine that!

In battling against medical examiners around the country, Taser contends that "medical examiners who rule against the stun gun are not qualified to judge whether the Taser was a factor in someone's death."  Evidently only doctors being paid by Taser are qualified to make this judgment.  I can't imagine why someone might see a conflict of interest here.

Anything that is traumatic could potentially kill someone.  If you take a gentle tap to the head with a baton, anything is possible.  I have seen very minor falls and injuries that should have not have resulted in death, but did.  So rather than Taser admit something that virtually everyone already knows, that a Taser shock could result in death, they prefer to market their product as a 'non-lethal alternative'.

This sounds great to law enforcement organizations, but will likely result in the use of a Taser as a compliance tool for people who do not pose a significant threat; situations where lethal force would never have been applied in the first place.  Remember 'don't tase me bro'?  Being 'non-lethal' is a great thing for Taser too; more applications equals more uses equals more revenue.  If they admitted that someone may die when hit by a taser, there would also be increased liability to the victims and their families as well.  Either way, we can't have company lose money, right?

This judge isn't just bought and paid for by the Taser corporation though.  On one of the deaths, he also ruled that "the cause of death to be undetermined and delete any references to homicide and the death possibly being caused by asphyxia, beatings or other factors."  Five sheriff deputies have been indicted in that case.

So in conclusion, I will be taking a copy of my medical school diploma, and I will carefully paste Judge Ted Schneiderman's name over mine.  I'll send him a copy, and everything will be official.  Congratulations Judge... I mean, Doctor!