It’s been over three months since Randy Cox was paralyzed, which his family says was caused by a sudden stop in a New Haven police van.
“Today he had to be put back in hospital because he got bed sores, and as Lou Rubano and I discussed, the doctors say this is going to be a regular thing forever,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said.
Cox, 36, was being driven in a van to a police station in New Haven on June 19 for processing on a weapons charge when the driver braked hard to avoid a collision and Cox went headfirst into the wall of the van, police said.
On Tuesday, attorneys representing Cox filed a federal lawsuit for $100 million against the five officers involved in the incident and the City of New Haven.
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However, Cox’s legal team hopes the city won’t let this case go to trial.
“The city has a right to say to this mother, 'we aren’t going to put you through all of that,'” Crump said.
The mayor and police chief were at Tuesday’s announcement. Mayor Justin Elicker said the city is committed to doing the right thing.
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“We need to make sure we see this process through and do it deliberately and appropriately,” Elicker said.
“At some point in time, this happens in every civil case, sooner rather than later, I can’t tell you the particular time here, there will come a time when a settlement will be discussed,” attorney representing the city, Pat King, said.
Elicker said the state attorney’s office is expected to conclude its investigation into the incident by mid-November. Once completed, an internal affairs investigation will begin.
“I want to see them get fired and arrested,” Cox’s sister Latoya Boomer said.
Meanwhile, lawyers say Cox is in and out of the hospital. He is unable to do anything for himself, and his mental health has also taken a toll.
”I’m the one that’s there most of the time, helping him eat,” Cox’s mother Doreen Coleman said.
“He often wakes up from a dream, he is running or walking, he wakes up, realizes he is paralyzed,” Attorney Louis Rubano said.
Lawyers said it costs between $20 to 30 million to take care of basic needs for Cox.
