Friday, April 16, 2021

Derek Chauvin Trial: Asphyxia or 98% Oxygen?

I've been following the Derek Chauvin trial where he's charged with murder for George Floyd on the Legal Insurrection web site.  My primary source is Andrew Branca's (the Law of Self Defense expert) blog wrap-up of each day's events. 

I'm particularly disturbed by the sudden recalling of the state's witness Dr. Tobin to rebut defense's Dr. Fowler on possible carbon monoxide effects on George Floyd.  Apparently he was about a foot away from the exhaust of the running police cruiser.  Dr. Fowler said Floyd could have had a 10-18% carbon monoxide displacement of oxygen in his hemoglobin.

Judge Cahill allowed the state to recall Dr. Tobin after the defense rested its case.  He pointed out that at the hospital, George Floyd's oxygen saturation level was 98% from a blood draw (not just a finger sensor).

What bothers me, is that all the experts claimed George Floyd died from asphyxiation.  Maybe my not being a doctor means I don't have a clue.  But I always thought asphyxiation meant you weren't getting enough oxygen (and the dictionary agrees).  98% is a great amount of oxygen.  Maybe dead people can have 98% oxygen in their blood, even when they were asphyxiated?  In my opinion, that is just BUNK.

If his oxygen level was that great at the hospital, how could any actions earlier at the arrest site have caused asphyxiation?

No comments:

Post a Comment