How brutal was the cop attack that left my wife with a shattered arm in Missouri? These images, from a trauma surgeon's team, help provide the answer

X-rays of Carol Shuler's shattered arm, broken by a Missouri deputy. This image shows that titanium plates were required for a major portion of her upper arm, and more hardware was required for support below the elbow.  (X-ray from Cox South Medical Center, Springfield, MO, from the staff of trauma surgeon Dr. Brian Buck.)

Police brutality continues to be in the news, and one of the most disturbing recent cases comes from Virginia. That's where University of Virginia honors student Martese Johnson was savagely beaten by agents from the state Alcohol Beverage and Control Department. Johnson has filed a $3-million lawsuit against agents who left him bloodied, with a gash in his head that required 10 stitches.

It's hard to compare cases of police brutality for the horror they inflict on their victims. But a Missouri deputy left my wife, Carol Shuler, with a shattered left arm after an unlawful eviction at our apartment on September 9. Carol's arm was so badly broken that it required repair from Dr. Brian Buck, a trauma surgeon at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri, and the University of Missouri.

The beating of Martese Johnson

Caregivers have told Carol that a good result from such an extreme injury would be 95-percent use of her arm. In other words, it's unlikely that her left arm ever will be the same. X-rays we've posted tell you why.

In one image, at least nine screws are visible, holding titanium plates that are allowing Carol's arm to heal. In another image, four to five lines that represent fractures clearly can be seen.

The images in today's post show the kind of support Carol's arm needed, both well above the elbow and below it. Based on our conversations with caregivers, our guess is that indicates Carol's arm was not just broken--it also was dislocated, likely due to severe and brutal twisting.

We intend to follow the Martese Johnson case and hope he and his family get justice. We intend to fight, with all of our might, so that Carol might achieve justice, also.

X-rays of Carol Shuler's shattered arm, broken by a Missouri deputy. This image shows another view of the support Carol's arm needed from screws and plates below the elbow. (X-ray from Cox South Medical Center, Springfield, MO, from the staff of trauma surgeon Dr. Brian Buck.)