Matt Tidman, who was on life support after an inmate allegedly attacked him with exercise equipment, testified in favor of a bill banning free weights at medium- and maximum-security prisons in Massachusetts.
A former correctional officer who was on life support and made a miraculous recovery after being attacked by an inmate in a Massachusetts prison in 2022 spoke publicly about the ordeal for the first time at a hearing Tuesday.
It was an emotional morning as Matt Tidman and his family testified at a hearing in favor of House Bill 2422, known as "Matt's Bill," which would require exercise equipment to be secured and ban free weights at medium and maximum-security prisons in the state.
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Tidman was severely injured after a prisoner repeatedly hit him in the head with a metal piece of gym equipment at MCI Shirley in August 2022.
"Luckily, with all of my friends and my family, I'm still here," Tidman said. "Nobody deserves this, and their families certainly don't deserve it ... I hope it doesn't happen to anybody else."
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"There's people that I care about that are still in danger every day, so we should try to help them any way we can, because they helped me this entire time," he added.
The attack left Tidman permanently disabled with a traumatic brain injury and many other medical issues. He lost his sight and hearing on one side.
Inmate Roy Booth is facing criminal charges in the case.
