SEATTLE — A Seattle police officer served the City of Seattle with a claim Thursday, after being he suffered a head injury from a piece of concrete thrown by a rioter during the May Day protests.
KIRO 7 was broadcasting the scene live, at the moment Officer Kerry Zieger was injured. Paramedics tended to him moments after it happened. His attorney also released photos of Zieger’s injuries.
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Attorney Erica Shelley Nelson filed the tort claim for damages against the city of Seattle on behalf of Zieger. She says his head injuries would not have happened if he was wearing a wraparound helmet worn by most other officers. Zieger was only wearing a standard bike helmet.
The claim also criticizes SPD for "failing" to issue an immediate dispersal order to move or arrest protestors, once the officer was injured.
"This could have been prevented, said Nelson, who filed the tort claim for damages against the city of Seattle on behalf of Zieger. She says his head injuries would not have happened if he was wearing a wraparound helmet like you see worn by the officer to his left in KIRO 7's video of the incident. Zieger was only wearing a standard bike helmet.
"The department had run out that day," said Nelson.
Nelson also said Zieger asked for a more protective helmet before May Day started, but he was told they were all taken by other officers.
"He wasn't protected. and he suffered a serious head injury as a result," she said.
Nelson says SPD Chief Kathleen O'Toole sent Zieger a note apologizing for not having enough protective helmets, and promised to buy more of them.
Zeiger's head injuries kept him out of work for more than two months.
"He has headaches that he didn't have before," she said. "He's had facial numbness head pain, and various other issues."
The claim asks for unspecified money damages, and that every officer who needs protective gear should have it.
"Our biggest driver of this tort claim is to prevent any other injuries of this nature," Nelson said.
Zieger was one of three officers injured that day.
Neither the city nor the Seattle Police Department is commenting on the pending legal action.
Cox Media Group
