BILLINGS – A Roosevelt County sheriff’s deputy is recovering from surgery after suffering broken arms and other injuries during a training session in which he was shocked by a stun gun.
“I took the Taser, and when it was over I couldn’t move my arms,” said Chief Deputy Jason Frederick, 32.
Doctors said he suffered lengthwise fractures in the humerus bones in his upper arms, fractures in his shoulder sockets and dislocated shoulders. Frederick was injured late in the afternoon on May 6 during a training session in Wolf Point, underwent surgery at a Billings hospital early on May 7 and was hospitalized through May 11.
Frederick said his surgeon told him the injuries were caused by “muscles convulsing the bones” and had nothing to do with a fall. Frederick said he was on his knees when he was stunned and fell forward onto a mat.
Steve Tuttle, a spokesman with Taser International in Scottsdale, Ariz., said the training session was not done according to recommended conditions in which the person being shocked would be standing up with an assistant on either side holding him under the arms to prevent a fall.
“If we see injuries in training, it’s generally from a fall,” Tuttle said, adding that he had never heard of injuries like those suffered by Frederick.
Frederick said Wednesday he expects to be able to return to desk duty in five to six weeks and to full duty within three to four months.
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