re: Derek Chauvin seriously injured in knife attack in prison

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You’ve finally convinced me that all these medical experts are completely wrong and don’t know what they are talking about!

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... AND YOU ARE STILL ABLE TO BREATHE!

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Tobin said the actions by Chauvin and two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, compressed Floyd's airway and forced him to take shallow breaths. That prevented his lungs from getting rid of carbon dioxide and replenishing oxygen. Over time, Tobin said, Floyd's oxygen level dropped to the point that it led to a seizure. He said Floyd's cause of death was lack of oxygen, which also caused brain damage and an abnormal heartbeat.

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Tobin did not argue that Floyd cannot breathe.

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Tobin said the actions by Chauvin and two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, compressed Floyd's airway and forced him to take shallow breaths. That prevented his lungs from getting rid of carbon dioxide and replenishing oxygen.

Over time, Tobin said, Floyd's oxygen level dropped to the point that it led to a seizure. He said Floyd's cause of death was lack of oxygen, which also caused brain damage and an abnormal heartbeat.

Tobin said he watched videos of Floyd's arrests "hundreds of times" and calculated that Chauvin's left knee was on Floyd's neck for the majority of the 9 minutes and 29 seconds he was restrained on the ground.

The effect of the officers' actions and Floyd's position was almost "as if a surgeon had gone in and removed the lung," Tobin said, referring to Floyd's left lung.

Tobin said images from the videos show Floyd trying to use his right fingers and knuckles to raise the right side of his chest to get air into his lungs. "This tells you he has used up his resources and he's literally trying to breathe with his fingers and knuckles," Tobin said.

Floyd's position restricted a part of the airway called the hypopharynx, which is vulnerable because it is so narrow, Tobin said.

As Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's hypopharynx area, Tobin said, it became harder for Floyd to breathe than it would have been if he been inhaling through a drinking straw.

At one point, Tobin asked jurors to feel their own necks to locate the hypopharynx, spurring a brief interruption as the lawyers conferred with Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill. The judge told jurors they didn't have to follow his instructions, but nearly all did anyway.

Tobin testified about an image from a video showing the toe of Chauvin's left boot lifted off the ground as he kneeled on Floyd. At that point, Tobin testified, 91.5 pounds were pressed directly onto Floyd's neck. Even when Chauvin's toes were on the ground, he said Floyd had 86.9 pounds on his neck.

Tobin said Floyd's lung capacity dropped by nearly a quarter when he was placed in the prone position. Once Chauvin pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck, his lung capacity dropped again, for a total reduction of 43%, Tobin calculated.

"Now the work Mr. Floyd has to perform is huge," Tobin said. "With each breath, he has to fight against the street, fight with the small volumes he has, and try to lift up the officer's knee with each breath, and has to also lift up the effect of the officer pumping up his arm – the handcuffed arm."

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nothing more than editorialized comment by the paid witness. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Tobin has been an expert witness in many court cases, most involving allegations of medical malpractice. But this was his first criminal case, which he said is one reason he didn't seek payment when the prosecution contacted him.

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Tobin did not argue that Floyd cannot breathe.

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Tobin, who said he's not being paid for his testimony…

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