Restoring Reason

Chad Gibson, and his actions and injury at the Rainbow Lounge, has become the center of much speculation since the end of June. Sadly, however, although the GLBT community has at times expressed much concern, he's also been forgotten at many times as fervor builds over gay rights versus his individual experience.

The effort to piece together what happened to Chad Gibson has launched three investigations - two by the Fort Worth Police Department, and another by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. While their investigations are not yet complete, however, there is a lot of substantiated information that disputes claims of police brutality.

First: Chad Gibson was publicly intoxicated. His sister, Kristy Morgan corroborates this, by saying that:

"0.08 is the legal limit. He was at 0.2. You have to be at 0.4 to have true alcohol poisoning and he was not close to that."

Unfortunately, Ms. Morgan needs a better grounding in both math and medicine.

To clarify Ms. Morgan's statements, 0.2 is 2.5 times the legal limit. His blood alcohol reading would have been taken shortly after he reached the hospital. Building a timeline backwards from that reading, it can be logically estimated that it was at least 1 hour, if not 2 hours, between his last drink and having a BAC of 0.2. Imagine what his BAC must have been when he was in the bar, groped the officer, and then took a header after explosively puking.

To further clarify Ms. Morgan's statements, it is not at 0.4 that "true alcohol poisoning" occurs. It is a 0.4 that death occurs.

Second: Publicly intoxicated individuals with high blood alcohol levels may not have full control over their movements and motions. While primal instincts still allow for simple deliberate actions (including assault) to be taken, coordination and control are not at full capacity.

The University of Rochester put together the following information related to attitudes and impairments at differing levels of intoxication.

With a BAC between 0.11 and 0.20, changes in feelings and personality would include over-expression, emotional swings, angry or sad, and boisterous. Physical and mental impairments would include reaction time, gross motor skills, staggering and slurred speech. This is the level of Chad Gibson's BAC after he was tested at the hospital.

With a BAC between 0.21 and 0.29, changes in feelings and personality would include stupor, loss of understanding, and impaired sensations. Physical and mental impairments would include severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness and memory blackout. To allow for the fact that Chad's BAC lowered by both vomiting and the passage of time, this grouping would account for what his level would have been while at the Rainbow Lounge. In an update provided to the Dallas Voice, Ms. Gibson alludes to her brother's lack of memory of the events at the Rainbow Lounge - this corresponds with impairments suffered when a BAC is between 0.21 and 0.29. The severe motor impairment that accompanies this level of intoxication is also supportive of police statements that Chad Gibson caused his own head injury when he fell to the ground.

Bringing citations back to the great state of Texas, read what University of Texas literature has to say about BAC levels of 0.2 and 0.25:

0.2: You may feel confused, dazed, or otherwise disoriented. You need help to stand up or walk. If you hurt yourself at this point, you probably won't realize it because you won't feel pain. Even if you are aware that you've injured yourself, you probably won't do anything about it. At this point you may experience nausea and start vomiting. Your gag reflex is impaired, so you could choke if you throw up. Since blackouts are likely at this level, you may not remember any of this.

0.25: All mental, physical, and sensory functions are severely impaired. You're emotionally numb. There's an increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of seriously injuring yourself by falling or other accidents.

In order to have a BAC in excess of 0.2 at an approximate body weight of 150 pounds, Chad Gibson would have consumed at least 7 drinks during the time leading up to his arrest, according to charts prepared by Brown University. Any way you crack it, that's a lot of alcohol.

Third: Chad Gibson was in police custody. This does not indicate police control, but rather supervision. While a police officer could reasonably be expected to render aid if injury occurs, it would not be reasonable to expect the same police officer to prevent all possible injuries. Can a parent protect their child from ever experiencing any injury? No. Neither can a police officer.

Fourth: It is instinctual for a person to throw out their arms in order to break falls. Because he was placed in flexcuffs while in police custody, Chad Gibson was not able to break his own fall.

Fifth: The hysteria over Chad Gibson being taken away from the Rainbow Lounge in a coma or an unconscious state is just that - hysteria. To read more about his physical aftereffects of the Rainbow Lounge visit, continue on to the next section.

Sixth: One last thought on alcohol poisoning, from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic:

A person with alcohol poisoning needs immediate medical attention. If you
suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 or your local poison control
center right away.

Finally: Documentation of Chad Gibson’s scalp/facial bruising is consistent with a person who has a diminished degree of balance and who falls face-first to the ground. This documentation is not consistent with an injury caused by a head being repeatedly banged into a wall or on the floor. It would be highly unlikely for repeated blows against differing surfaces to land upon the exact same location. Further, the abrasions visible support coming into contact with concrete outside, which is rough, rather than the flooring inside of the club, which is not.

Chad Gibson's irresponsibility in drinking to the point of high intoxication led to his self-inflicted accidental injuries and alcohol poisoning. The peace officers involved with Chad Gibson at the Rainbow Lounge did not cause him to suffer any injury that night. Rather, by acting quickly to obtain EMT treatment and transportation, they saved his life.

Many witnesses have come forward to decry Chad's alleged abuse and to demand answers for his injury. But how many of those witnesses went to check on Chad in the parking lot? How many of those witnesses were actually concerned enough to take pictures or video of the alleged abuse or his condition in the parking lot? How many of those witnesses volunteered to go with Chad in the ambulance, so he wouldn't have to ride to the hospital alone? Apparently, none. None at all. The only reasonable explanation for this is that opportunistic activists have only used Chad after the fact as a martyr for the cause. Shameful.

Disclaimer: The information posted on this site has not been prepared or approved by any police agency, police association, or legal or law enforcement professional. It has been compiled through research of already available information and should not be relied upon as legal advice or as findings of an investigation.

Next Section < - > Previous Section