Jury: New Jersey Troopers Didn't Use Excessive Force On Diabetic Driver
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A man who claims New Jersey state police wrestled him to the ground along a highway while he was in diabetic shock has lost his excessive force lawsuit.
A federal jury ruled against Daniel Fried last week, culminating a six-day trial.
Fried was found slumped behind the wheel along New Jersey Route 72, just outside Philadelphia, in 2010.
The Springfield, Pennsylvania, man said troopers thought he was intoxicated and resisting arrest. He claimed they used excessive force and seriously hurt him, hitting him with a baton and handcuffing him.
Attorneys for the state, though, said Fried declined an ambulance and gave inconsistent answers on whether he was diabetic. The troopers said in police reports that the struggle ensued after Fried became aggressive, refused to take his hands out of his pockets and tried to walk away.
Fried has said he was in shock and doesn't remember what happened between the time police arrived and when he was placed in the back of a squad car.
He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but those charges were later dismissed.
Fried's attorney said his client is considering an appeal.
A state police spokesman said the agency is "encouraged" by the verdict.
Fried, a television producer, told The Star-Ledger in 2012 that he once made a police training video on how to handle people who are suffering diabetic distress. He said state police did virtually the opposite of what medical experts have suggested in such situations.
The troopers said in court depositions they never received specific training on how to handle diabetic shock situations. But a state police spokesman said the division's training regime includes medical emergency training.
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