Police Dump Paralyzed Man Out of Wheelchair

A deputy at the Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County Florida was caught on tape dumping a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair.
Brian Sterner broke his neck 14 years ago, and is paralyzed from the chest down. Last month, he was brought to the jail on a traffic violation. Despite being paralyzed, Sterner can still operate a vehicle. Sterner says a female deputy didn't believe he was quadriplegic. The deputy proceeds to walk behind the hospital-grade wheelchair, grab the handles and dumped Sterner straight forward out and on to the floor. Sterner says he tried to roll as he was going down but he felt like he might have been severely injured. Deputies frisked him while he was on the ground, and then tried to jerk him back up into his chair. Sterner tried to tell deputies the best way to put him back in the chair, but they showed little regard for his well-being. Because he has no sensation from the chest down, Sterner didn't know that his ribs were actually broken. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department had no idea about the incident until a reporter from a Tampa TV Station showed them their own video footage. According to jail officials, no written report was issued because as they say there was no problem with no cause a problem to any inmate in a wheelchair. An investigation is currently underway. "It's incredibly degrading," Sterner says, "It's an example of how poorly trained the Hillborough County Sheriff's Office is."