In an incredibly unwarranted turn of events, a man sadly lost his hand because of one cop that refused to listen to him. 26-year old Giovanni Loyola from Alabama was picked up by Jefferson County police after an altercation was called in because of an argument between two men brandishing firearms. Now, Loyola is suing the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for excessive force and civil rights violations.
On February 16, 2020, Loyola was in his mom’s trailer in Pinson, Alabama when three sheriff’s deputies showed up. One “Deputy Godber,” as the lawsuit explained, took Loyola by the wrist, forcibly detaining him just moments after he opened up the door of the mom’s home.
The law enforcer then forced Loyola out of the door and down the steps then “slammed” him against the car before shoving him to the ground, punching him in the face before handcuffing him in a manner considered “unbearably tight.”
In fact, Loyola told al.com “It was really painful. It’s horrible. I don’t with that pain on nobody. It’s just really unexpected. I have no words for it.”
Loyola continued to tell him that the cuffs were too tight and painful, but to no avail, no one listened and they were left on for hours. But what happened next was something that the sheriff’s office couldn’t have predicted.
Since the incident occurred, Loyola has been through several surgeries which eventually led to doctors removing some of his fingertips. But still, things continued to get worse and despite several attempts, doctors had no choice but to amputate his hand, all of which happened in a matter of 10 months.
First, they removed a few fingertips. Four operations later, doctors had removed Giovanni Loyola's entire hand. Loyola is now suing a sheriff's deputy in Jefferson County, Ala., alleging he was handcuffed too tightly for hours. (via @SarahWhitesk) https://t.co/U8YipqRJHh
— Ashley Remkus (@aremkus1) May 26, 2021
The deputy report shares that Loyola was reportedly intoxicated and fighting with some family members when the deputy office was called. Upon their arrival, he allegedly fought them and resisted arrest. But according to the Loyola, he was just watching TV when the deputies arrived.
Loyola then claims that after he was cuffed, he kept telling them that the cuffs were too tight, really painful and that his left hand was going numb, but Deputy Godber refused to listen or do anything about it.
The complaint read, “The handcuffs remained tightly on the Plaintiff’s wrists until they were removed hours later at the jail. After Plaintiff got out of jail on February 28, 2020, his left wrist was still in tremendous pain.”
"protect and serve" https://t.co/wuOcV55Gjj
— HΛMMØND BΛCØN (@Gnarizardd) May 27, 2021
Afterwards, Loyola decided to go to the local hospital, Ascension St. Vincent’s East Hospital in Birmingham, where he was checked in and told that he suffered severe blood flow issues which would require surgery. Supposedly, his fingertips were grey upon checkup and the doctors had a major “concern for necrosis.”
One hospital visit turned into multiple ones, and then those visits turned into four surgeries, the last of which was the amputation of his left hand.
Loyola told that when he heard the doctors tell him that his hand just couldn’t be saved after the fourth operation, “I felt really bad, and I started breaking down and crying.”
According to his lawsuit, a man arrested and left in a holding cell pleaded for his handcuffs to be loosened. They weren’t, and when he was released he sought medical attention. 10 months and 4 surgeries later, his left hand is gone completely. https://t.co/AmlhZ3lFbJ pic.twitter.com/kvm4zFUw7P
— Peter Bonilla (@pebonilla) May 26, 2021
Loyola’s attorneys argued, “Deputy Gober handcuffed Plaintiff’s wrists so tightly that Plaintiff immediately lost sensation in one hand, and Deputy Godber refused to loosen the handcuffs even after Plaintiff told him that they were too tight and were causing him pain. These actions and inactions constituted unreasonable and excessive force.”
According to the lawsuit, the authorities also searched through Loyola’s home without a warrant, which is why he is also suing for a number of different compensatory damages. Some are for the loss of income because of his inability to work, the physical and mental toll of the entire ordeal, the medical costs, legal fees and other punitive damages that he has suffered at the hands of the deputies, as well as from the loss of his hand.
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