Army vet Greg Gross, 65, wins $20M after Yuba City cop Joshua Jackson snapped his SPINE during traffic stop and paralyzed him
- A Northern California man was awarded $20million after being paralyzed during a 2020 interaction with police
- Greg Gross, 65, was pulled over in April of 2020 and shown ‘pain compliance’ techniques as officers apprehended him
- Brutal bodycam footage from the arresting officers shows the moment Gross was paralyzed and that police did not take his injury complaints seriously
A 65 year-old Army vet has been awarded $20million after a cop snapped his spine during a traffic stop and left him paralyzed – with the appalling assault captured on camera.
Greg Gross was left horrifically-disabled after the April 2020 ‘pain compliance’ restraint by Yuba City Police Officer Joshua Jackson, with video footage showing the bloodied brutality victim sobbing as he wailed: ‘I can’t feel my legs.’
The bed-bound former military man has been awarded the sum by a Sacramento jury after they were told he now requires 24 hour care from a team of nurses.
Stomach-churning body camera footage captured the moment Gross was injured after being pulled over on suspicion of causing a slow-speed crash while drunk driving.
Jackson made Gross sit on the ground, with his legs straight in front of him. He then repeatedly pushed the senior citizen’s torso forward, towards the ground, with a force that ultimately snapped Gross’s spinal column as fellow cops Scott Hansen and Nathan Livingston looked on.
Officers did not believe the victim when he repeatedly said ‘I can’t feel my legs’ after his spine was crushed as he was pinned to the ground outside a hospital in Yuba City, California.
Sgt Joshua Jackson is seen slamming Army Vet Greg Gross to the ground in Yuba City in April 2020 during a traffic stop which ended with cops breaking Gross’ spine
Jackson, pictured in his uniform, sat Gross down on the grass with his back upright, then pushed the senior citizen’s torso forward until his spine snapped, paralyzing him forever
A now-paralyzed Gregory Gross is strapped into a bed, reviewing pieces of evidence from his catastrophic encounter with Yuba City police
Video shows that Gross is placed in handcuffs and forced to the ground. When he tells officers that he is in pain, they respond by saying that they are using ‘pain compliance’ to enforce good behavior from him.
The footage next cuts to Gross being handled beside a set of police cars next to a hospital.
The officer whose bodycam footage it is turns away for a moment to put on gloves, handing Gross over to a different officer – Joshua Jackson. The police department confirmed last year that Jackson has not been employed there since February 2021.
By the time he turns back, Gross is again on the ground, this time having been slammed into a lawn next to the hospital.
‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,’ says Gross.
‘You’re talking. You can breathe,’ says one of the officers as Gross begins to moan, his face now bloodied from being slammed into the grass.
His complaint then turns to ‘I can’t feel my legs,’ which he repeats several times as officers place him in a wheelchair.
‘Mr. Gross, we are done with your silly little games,’ an officer says.
Once inside the hospital, Gross’s serious complaint is not taken particularly seriously by the medical staff. He is, at one point, told to stop saying he can’t feel his legs.
Shocking police bodycam footage shows Gross begging for help from the officers after he realized something had gone seriously wrong
Gross is now confined to a wheelchair or bed most of the time and requires round the clock care, which he will need for the rest of his life
An x-ray image shows the vertebrae in Gross’ neck that were broken in the police altercation
Gregory Gross is an army veteran who lives in Yuba City, California. His settlement with the police department there is one of the largest ever in the state
The 65-year-old’s complaints became serious and desperate as officers outside the hospital ignored him
Gross additionally sued the hospital and specific staffers who he believes mishandled his injury with catastrophic results
Only when he was ultimately given a cat scan and doctors were able to see the extent of the damage that had been caused, did his complaint register.
He required two surgeries to fuse his spine.
In a separate lawsuit filed against Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville, the University of California, Davis, Medical Center and individual medical workers, Gross alleged that it was the combination of police and medical misconduct that left him unable to walk.
That suit has not yet reached a conclusion.
Gross now requires around-the-clock care and is essentially confined to a hospital bed in his living room. He is unable to walk or care for himself and will remain that way for the rest of his life.
The $20million settlement, announced earlier this month, is one of the largest in the state’s history.
As part of the settlement, Yuba City has agreed to start randomly auditing officers’ bodycam footage and reviewing use of force incidents.
Gross will require round the clock care for the rest of his life – he is shown here in a hospital bed in his living room
X-rays presented as evidence show exactly the places where Gross’ neck snapped during his interaction with officer Jackson
Police Chief Brian Baker apologized to Gross at a news conference following the announcement.
‘You’ve been in my thoughts since this tragedy was brought to my attention. On April 12th, 2020, we missed the mark. And for that, Mr. Gross, I’m sorry,’ he said.
Gross said that he’s ‘glad that they did something and took it serious.’
‘I couldn’t understand how someone could be in a position of authority and was acting like that and treating another human being like that.’
Last year, Gross detailed what his day-to-day looks like now: ‘I just pretty much lay in bed all day. I’m just existing right now, basically.’
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