'Don't jog to work! ' Cops mock critically injured jogger as he lay unconscious in road after accident
Hannah Roberts
He was nearly killed in a horrific roadside accident, and now a jogger is furious at the wise-cracking cops who mocked him as he clung to life.
Lying in a pool of his own blood after being hit by a truck, Seattle man Tim Nelson had blacked out when first responders arrived.
One officer was operating under the mantra of 'to serve and disrespect' as he remarked to a colleague: 'That's why you drive a car.
'Don't jog to work you dumb f***!'
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Shocking: Truck-accident survivor Tim Nelson discovered that police at the site had mocked him even as he lay close to death
Mr Nelson was left with a broken back, cracked ribs and fractured skull.
But it wasn't until weeks later, as his lawyers tried to discover who was at fault in the accident, that they came across video footage of the police officers' disrespectful comments.
Minutes after arriving on the scene, Seattle's not-so-finest can be heard on tape mocking the critically-injured man in the following exchange:
Officer 1 'They say he flew up in the air and landed on his noggin.'
Officer 2 'Hey, that ain't my problem!'
Officer 1 'That's why you drive a car!'
Officer 2 'Yeah, don't try to jog to work, you dumb f***!'
Critical injuries: Nelson was left with a broken back, cracked ribs and fractured skull
Soon afterwards the officers are heard directing their ill-judged sense of humour at the driver of the truck, poking fun at his accent.
Officer 1 'I don't know. It uh, hit da truck! I don't know!'
Officer 2 'He goes, 'What happen now? I get ticket?'
With a major city viaduct closed, Mr Nelson was merely following the advice of the city when he decided to jog to work the day of the accident.
He is now demanding an apology from the city or the officer in question.
The accident survivor said: 'We pay their salaries and I understand they have stressful jobs but this cop was not under any duress.
'Yeah, don't try to jog to work, you dumb f***!'
-Police officer
'He was joking and making remarks about the truck drivers' foreign accent'
The American Civil Liberties Union said police should be respectful to all the public.
'It should never be acceptable to make statements that denigrate members of the public whom they serve,' the group said in a statement.
Deputy police Chief Clark Kimerer told the KIRO 7 network that the officer's behaviour was 'unacceptable'.
He said: 'We expect 100 percent professionalism from our officers. We also, with them, have to recognize that they are often in stressful situations and also that there is sometimes more than meets the eyes.'
The incident is the subject of an internal investigation.
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