Georgia county won’t pay medical bills for toddler burned by grenade in botched drug raid

[Cali_Democrat]

By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 9:09 EDT

Officials in a Georgia county are refusing to pay medical expenses for a toddler badly injured during a police raid on the home where the boy was staying.

Bounkham Phonesavanh was hospitalized for weeks in a burn unit after a SWAT officer tossed a flash grenade into his crib during a no-knock raid May 28 in Habersham County.

The 19-month-old suffered serious wounds, including a hole in his chest that exposed his ribs, and burns to his face and chest when the grenade detonated just inches away from him as he slept.

The grenades were developed for combat use and are intended to temporarily blind and deafen anyone nearby.

“I heard my baby wailing and asked one of the officers to let me hold him,” the boy’s mother, Alecia Phonesavanh, told Salon. “He screamed at me to sit down and shut up and blocked my view, so I couldn’t see my son. I could see a singed crib, and I could see a pool of blood.”

“The officers yelled at me to calm down and told me my son was fine, that he’d just lost a tooth,” his mother added. “It was only hours later when they finally let us drive to the hospital that we found out Bou Bou was in the intensive burn unit and that he’d been placed into a medically induced coma.”

More:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/19/georgia-county-wont-pay-medical-bills-for-toddler-burned-by-grenade-in-botched-drug-raid/

[msongs]

1. oh they will pay alright, millions probably. the perps will not be affected much tho nt

[Hoyt]

5. That's what I think. Hope it's settled fast, as it should be.

[951-Riverside]

14. It will be settled that's for sure...

Of course the tax payers will be footing the bill

[Hoyt]

18. That's what happens when "we" vote ignorant fools into office.

[KamaAina]

2. That would be an admission of guilt

The family will just have to sue their asses off.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Cali_Democrat.

[Cali_Democrat]

4. You're welcome!

[MineralMan]

6. Oh, they'll pay. Just not voluntarily.

As always, it will require a lawsuit.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. SUE THE BASTARDS!

A big monetary judgment is all they understand.

[RebelOne]

9. According to our local Atlanta news, the family is suing. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. They damned well better.

They'll pay when they are forced to. And not before.

[catrose]

8. So can we get police insurance?

In case the same thing happens to us?

You know, I wonder, just wonder, mind you, if the police were held responsible for such mistakes, if they would try harder not to make them. And I wouldn't consider such injuries to a baby justified if the police had been able to make an arrest. I suspect that they don't share my values.

[Lucky Luciano]

12. I think insurance companies might go for that...

...as long as the person buying a policy does not have a pre-existing excess melanin condition.

[catrose]

15. Lol but true eom

[cwydro]

10. This story was so upsetting.

I hope they sue for millions.

But that can't change what happened.

[Omaha Steve]

11. Here is his after photo

Thre was a site to help with the bills. But be leery of scams. Anyone know of one please post it.

[Lucky Luciano]

19. This completely sucks.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Basically, if you're smoking pot on your couch, a SWAT team can bust in and kill your whole family

Yay drug war!

[Brigid]

17. Oh, they'll pay all right . . .

When they get sued.