A man from the Bronx is suing the NYPD for $10 million claiming he was handcuffed to his hospital bed for a full week following a car acci...
A man from the Bronx is suing the NYPD for $10 million claiming he was handcuffed to his hospital bed for a full week following a car accident in which he nearly 'lost his life.'
Kevin Saulnier, 24, ended up crashing head-on with some off-duty cops.
His car was a write-off while Saulnier's injuries were severe after a three-inch piece of metal protruding from his leg left him bleeding profusely.
Kevin Saulnier, 24, was in a car accident that saw him collide with off-duty cops in their car
Saulnier injured his leg in the crash and spent a week in hospital recovering
He ended up needing surgery in order to place a plate and five metal screws into his leg, pictured
He ended up needing surgery in order to place a plate and five metal screws into his leg. The off-duty officers were not injured in the April 2019 crash.
While recovering from the accident and subsequent operation, Saulnier was cuffed to his bedside after his driving record showed that he had several unpaid parking tickets.
'This was a total abuse of power,' Saulnier told The New York Post. 'They treated me like I killed 20 people.'
The lawsuit alleges the officers at the scene were angry 'because one of their own was in an accident with a civilian. With absolutely no regard for the obvious injuries he had suffered, Saulnier was cuffed by the NYPD, as he lay in agony on the stretcher once he arrived at the emergency room at Jacobi Hospital.'
The explosive suit goes further alleging the police officers 'wanting to prolong Saulnier's misery, intentionally delayed' processing his arrest paperwork and refused to issue him a desk appearance ticket.
Saulnier's car lost its driver's side wheel and he went head first into the guard rail
Saulnier claims that he was surrounded by about a dozen cops after the crash, 'none of whom checked to see if he was ok'
Saulnier who was left 'in excruciating pain' was then made to wait for another week while he was handcuffed to his bed by his wrist and ankle until he could be seen by a judge.
Through the lawsuit, as seen by The Post, Saulnier states that on his 'first evening as a prisoner' a sergeant from the NYPD tightened his cuffs.
All the while, a cop was stationed by his bedside for the entire week.
'I had a broken left leg, a shackled right leg and they handcuffed my left wrist. I said, 'Why are you guys doing this to me?' None of the cops had an answer,' he said.
Saulnier was driving his Chevy Malibu to a shopping mall when he collided with an SUV.
He was handcuffed by his wrist and ankle for the duration of his stay after police found that he had unpaid parking tickets
His car careened and 'tapped' a third car containing the off-duty officers.
Saulnier's car ended up being pinned against the guard rail and he had to clamber out of the passenger side door.
His leg was so badly damaged that he was unable to stand up.
'I'm lying in the car and 10 cop cars are there in under three minutes. … They all walked by me. … The first person to come up to me was FDNY,' he said. He alleges the cops 'didn't care about me at all.'
'...and then they established that my license was suspended due to an unpaid parking ticket from 2017.'
'This was a regular car accident,' Taso Pardalis, Saulnier's attorney said. 'The kid had unpaid tickets and his license was suspended for that and the cops united to punish him.'
Saulnier, a steel worker, is now suing the Department in what he sees as 'an abuse of power'
Saulnier is said to have paid an outstanding $303 ticket judgment against him the day following the accident.
Saulnier was arraigned on charges of reckless driving and aggravated unlicensed operator and violation of vehicle and traffic law to which he pleaded guilty and was served with a $75 fine.
An NYPD spokeswoman said 'Saulnier was driving in a fire lane at a high rate of speed. His claims have no merit and we look forward to defending against the baseless allegations,' the NYPD wrote in a statement regarding the lawsuit.
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