Tag: LAD Bible Weird

The family of a young woman who allegedly died after being given too many painkillers have filed a lawsuit against the hospital.

In April, university student Dale Alice Martin fractured her ankle while undertaking farm work and was informed that she would be kept in overnight for surgery.

“It didn’t seem like a very complicated medical issue,” the 21-year-old’s father, Lindsay Martin, recalled in an interview with NBC.

Fourteen hours later, Martin’s family received a phone call to say their daughter had been found unresponsive and was now brain dead. A medical report would later find that Martin had been given an accidental overadministration of narcotics, which caused her to stop breathing and go into cardiac arrest.

Martin’s family have now initiated legal action against Connecticut’s Waterbury Hospital, claiming their daughter died due to medical malpractice.

“Within 14 hours of admission, providers at the hospital had administered so much pain medication that Dale stopped breathing and later died,” Christopher Mattei of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, who are representing the Martin family, said.

“No one checked on Dale during this time. The same medications that were interfering with Dale’s breathing were also sedating her,” the lawsuit continued. “Dale could not even call for help as she suffocated. At 7 a.m. on April 10, a Waterbury Hospital nurse finally checked on Dale. It was far too late. Her heart had stopped beating.”

An investigation into the hospital revealed that it was owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, a California-based private company which filed for bankruptcy three months before Dale passed away.

The hospital was later purchased by Hartford HealthCare and is now owned and operated by UConn Health. A spokesperson for the facility told the Hartford Courant: “he quality, safety and wellbeing of our patients is our top priority.”

When asked about the reports that funding at Waterbury Hospital was so tight that ‘nurses allegedly were buying food for patients’ and the facility was struggling to ‘function properly’, Martin’s father said the family had no idea this was the case until after her death.

“Dale did not have a choice of where to go,” he said. “She was brought to the nearest hospital.”

“We will obviously learn more about the extent to which Prospect’s mismanagement of Waterbury Hospital contributed to the specific circumstances on the night that Dale died,” Mattei, the family’s attorney, said.

“But what we expect to find is that this was a hospital that was largely operating on fumes as a result of Prospect dismantling infrastructure within the hospital, reducing staff, training, and finding every way possible to extract value out of the hospital in a way that jeopardised care.”

LADbible has approached Waterbury Hospital and Prospect Medical Holdings for comment.

This article contains images some readers may find distressing.

A woman experienced a serious case of psoriasis which left her with ‘mouldy skin’ so bad that she went bald after a traumatic birth which left her and her baby in intensive care.

Leonie Branaghan recalled how she had been discharged from hospital after contracting sepsis following the birth of her son Kobe, with the sepsis meaning that they spent time in intensive care after the birth.

The 30-year-old mum from Ipswich in Suffolk was discharged home, and said that she was so scared of losing her baby son that she didn’t put him down.

“The hospital said that the stress that I have gone through is what triggered [my psoriasis],” said Leonie.

Around two months after being discharged home Leonie began to experience flashbacks to her experience in hospital, and noticed a small scab had appeared behind her ear.

At first she assumed that it was just dandruff, but in January 2024 she noticed that more bumps were appearing on her scalp, and made an appointment with her GP, where she was diagnosed with a fungal infection.

Over the following months, Leonie had patches of the itchy skin flare up all over her body, and on her head it became so bad that it caused her hair to fall out.

“I would make jokes I was a snake and my skin was shedding”

In September 2024 Leonie was diagnosed with psoriasis, this is a condition which causes patches of flaky and dry skin on the body, which does not currently have an outright cure.

One big cause of psoriasis is stress, and Leonie believes that this was directly linked to the extremely difficult birth, which she called ‘the scariest thing I have been through’.

“It’s very itchy so when you scratch it, it then burns and it would bleed and ooze. There was so much coming out of it,” she said.

“It was clear liquid and had the worst smell to it as well. I’ve never smelt anything remotely similar to what that smelt like.

“It almost felt surreal [when my skin would come off]. I thought there was no point crying about this as I have it for the rest of my life. I would almost make jokes like I was a snake and my skin was shedding.”

Leonie has tried several different medicines including oral and injected, in an attempt to treat the health condition, but it does not have a cure.

The mum of two has sometimes worn wigs and close-fitting hats, known as ‘cancer caps’ for their popularity with people who are undergoing chemotherapy, when she leaves the house, but says that she has had cruel remarks from strangers.

“I had taken my little boy shopping and at this point my hair had completely gone and my head was at its worst,” she recalled.

“I didn’t want to go out with no hair so I balanced a wig on my head and put a beanie hat on to hold it in place.

“This lady came up to me and asked why I had a winter hat on when it’s warm outside. I just don’t know why she needed to comment on it.”

She added: “I lost all my hair at the age of 27 due to psoriasis. I had really nice hair, it was really long and blonde, it was such a big part of me.

The condition has even gotten so bad that Leonie has been unable to play with her son because her ‘hands would split’.

“I wouldn’t be able to take him to the park either because it makes it hard to walk,” she said.

Leonie now hopes to raise awareness of the condition and urge people to see a doctor if they are worries they have psoriasis.

“My head is starting to get quite bad again and my hair is starting to fall out again in little bits,” she said.

“If you think you have psoriasis you should not wait for as long as I did to get in touch with someone in the medical profession.”

According to the NHS, psoriasis is defined as a common skin condition that causes itchy and painful patches of dry, flaky skin.

It is most commonly found on the head and behind the ears, on the chest, tummy, back, bottom, elbows and forearms and lower legs. It can also be found in skin creases.

It cannot be cured, but there are treatments to help manage symptoms, including steroid creams.

Football fans are used to seeing a sea of blue shirts in the stand when Manchester City are playing – but on Sunday (11 October), there was a wave of yellow instead.

That’s because supporters have headed to Anfield with inflatable bananas in what seems to be a show of defiance, as it’s the club’s first game since it was found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges relating to financial fair play rules.

And it turns out there is an interesting reason why Cityzens have opted to arm themselves with this unusual prop.

Enzo Maresca’s squad are back on the pitch today for the first time since the news broke that the Premier League had found the club guilty of dozens of charges.

City, who has launched an appeal against the decision and vehemently deny any wrongdoing, could face a number of brutal punishments.

Maresca addressed the scandal for the first time on Friday (9 October) ahead of the team’s clash against Liverpool, saying he has ‘complete trust’ in the club.

“Personally, I’m very calm to be honest,” the 46-year-old said. “The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club.

“We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side.”

Outside Anfield, there was tons of merch on sale referencing the more than 100 charges, which City fans have no doubt been bracing for.

In what seems to be a bid to counteract this, hundreds of Blues have turned up to the stadium with inflatable bananas, and a lot of people don’t know why.

Taking to social media, one person wrote: “Why are the Man City fans holding giant bananas?”

Another teased: “Bananas are backkkkk!”

A third commented: “City fans such tourists. You can see to them its all about a fun day out, no real passion. They’re all having a laugh with those bananas.”

A fourth added: “My love for this club is pure. Man City fans bringing bananas to Anfield.”

And a fifth chimed in saying: “City fans be like, ‘We know we cheated but we’re gonna come to Anfield and wave bananas around’.”

Why are City fans armed with inflatable bananas?

It is believed that City supporters are referencing the nickname that supporters previously gave to legendary striker Imre Varadi, back in 1987.

They dubbed the player, now 67, ‘Imre Banana’ in a chant.

According to City’s website, this marked the ‘start of an inflatable craze that put a much needed smile back on the face of football in England‘.

“All this was seemingly down to a few City fans interpretation of Varadi’s name – at least as legend has it – and, years later, he admitted it was something he was extremely proud to have been connected to,” it explains.

Varadi took the nickname in his stride and later launched his own business, Imre Banana, which produces inflatable bananas that sport his name. You can purchase one for £10, as well as t-shirts and badges.

It is believed that a fan named Frank Newton is responsible for starting this wacky trend, as he turned up to Maine Road ahead of a match against Plymouth Argyle with a five-foot blow-up banana.

He is said to have borrowed his from a pal, rather than bulk-ordering them online like these lot probably have.

Blow-up bananas have since been adopted by City fans as a lighthearted symbol of their support for the club, and it seems they are now being repurposed to put on a show of solidarity.

Dante Friend, who handed out some inflatables to fans outside Anfield before the game kicked off, told The Sun: “A guy called Frank Newton took an inflatable banana to the next game, and then everyone started doing it.

“Most of the fans were having a laugh. We were s**t, we were in Division Two.

“I think, every now and then, when it’s fan-led and not club-led, [bringing back the bananas] can be really good. It’ll be a laugh.”

City’s CEO Ferran Soriano recently released a video insisting the Premier League case was ‘based on a single false accusation’ – but all fans could focus on was him seemingly not blinking during the more than three minute clip.

A man who was ‘completely at the mercy’ of the Boxing Day tsunami has told how he believes his horror injuries actually saved his life.

Andrew Chaggar miraculously survived the natural disaster in 2004 that tragically killed 220,000 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia – including his ‘wonderful’ partner Nova.

The couple had taken a year off to explore the world and after travelling through China, Vietnam and Cambodia, they fatefully decided to spend the Christmas period in Thailand in a beachfront bungalow.

Andrew courageously opened up about his story of survival and the loss of Nova while speaking to LADbible Stories in a new episode of Minutes With.

He detailed how the dream trip they had spent a number of years saving up for turned into a nightmare after ferocious waves smashed into their accommodation in Khao Lak and swept them away.

Andrew, who was 27 at the time, recalled how the row of bungalows were ‘took down like dominoes’ after the first wave of the Indian Ocean tsunami hit.

He described how the homes began to ‘violently’ shake, while he could hear a noise comparable to a ‘jet engine building up for takeoff’ – adding that Nova ‘looked quite scared’ when he glanced over at her for the final time.

“I literally remember being in the bungalow and, the next minute, basically waking up in the water,” Andrew told Minutes With. “It was almost like being in a washing machine full of nails.

“There was this incredibly strong current, and there was just no way to swim against it. I was completely at its mercy.

“And then there was all the wreckage from the bungalows themselves. In the water, there was metal, glass, bricks, probably whole cars and things like that. It was that powerful.”

Andrew was then repeatedly ‘turned over and over’ by the force of the waves, which ‘dragged him along’ and away from the row of bungalows.

“At one point, I managed to surface, but almost immediately, I think an oil drum hit me in the head,” he continued. “That’s what caused the scar on my head, and it knocked me back under the water.

“I surfaced again, and the wave had started washing me inland. I was basically dragged through what was basically a building site for a hotel.

“At that point, it was just the concrete floors and the columns that were in place, so there were no walls.”

While he was hauled through the construction site, Andrew’s left leg suddenly became pinned against a concrete pillar due to the debris in the water.

“That’s what caused the worst of my injuries,” the dad-of-two said. “But I think it’s fundamentally what saved my life.”

Andrew believes that a worse fate would have awaited him if his leg had not become trapped, as he suspects the waves would have dragged him back out of the site and catapulted him directly into the bay.

“I’ve seen videos of Khao Lak on the day of the tsunami, and there were these huge whirlpools going on,” he said. “I think that’s what also caused a lot of people to drown – being out in the bay when all that was happening.

“So, although it caused the worst of my injuries, I think that’s fundamentally why I’m alive today.”

Being stuck there was still an ‘incredibly frightening’ experience, as Andrew explained he had never ‘even heard the word tsunami at that point, so had no idea what had happened’.

‘I was incredibly lucky’

Moments later, he began to hear the same haunting noise he had heard that morning – and the second wave then struck and he feared that due to his injuries, he would not be able to survive this one.

Explaining how he dodged death, Andrew went on: “I watched the wave come in, but again, I was incredibly lucky because, as it came in, it rose and probably stopped about six inches – about 15 centimetres – below where I was.

“Had it come any higher, it probably would have taken me with it. But the second wave came in, rose up almost to where I was and then, thankfully, dropped away without taking me.”

As well as sustaining ‘terrible’ injuries to his legs, he also broke his collarbone. Andrew spent around four hours in the construction site while being ‘incredibly worried’ about where Nova was, before he was eventually rescued from his ordeal by a pair of ‘incredibly brave’ strangers.

He explained the mental toll of the Indian Ocean tsunami was much greater than the physical, as he came to terms with the fact that Nova was gone, while he had witnessed scenes that he resembled a ‘war zone’.

Six months after the natural disaster, he was informed that Nova had been confirmed dead through a partial DNA match, which left him in ‘a pretty dark place for a long time’.

He said his healing journey has taken years and is still ongoing – but he bravely decided to return to Thailand as he had a ‘very strong urge to go back and help’.

Andrew’s experience inspired him to go back to university and do a master’s degree in international development, with a focus on disaster response, before he later launched the charity, International Disaster Volunteers (IDV).

He now works for another charity and is an inspirational speaker. He has since got married and had two children, while he also remains ‘incredibly close with Nova’s parents‘.

“I’m in this position now where my kids call Nova’s parents Grandma and Granddad,” Andrew added. “That, to me, is just amazing. I feel incredibly lucky that they’re family.

“They are family. There’s no question about it, and I feel very lucky that relationship is there.

“Obviously, as part of that, Nova is always part of our lives.”

Witnesses have shared harrowing new details about the man who died after being mauled by a tiger at a zoo in Yorkshire.

Emergency services rushed out to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park at around 1.30pm on Saturday following reports that a man had entered the enclosure and had been attacked by the tiger.

Zookeepers reportedly did ‘everything they could’ to save the man, including firing acoustic gun blasts in an attempt to scare off the tiger.

Tragically, South Yorkshire Police later confirmed that the man, who has not been identified, died at the scene.

“At 1.35pm today (Saturday October 10) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park,” the force said yesterday.

“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.”

Witnesses at the scene claimed the man was seen ‘dancing’ on the viewing platform and asked another visitor to take a photo of him with one of the tigers in the background before the horrific incident.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, one person said that a woman had unsuccessfully attempted to pull the man back onto the viewing platform before he entered the enclosure.

Other witnesses told the Daily Mail that once in the enclosure the man had made the gesture for ‘bad’ in Makaton – a sign language system that’s used to help people communicate.

Ella Ford, was visiting the zoo with her boyfriend when the incident unfolded, speaking to the BBC, she said that ‘climbed a few barriers’ and eventually ‘jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there’.

She said that as the tiger grabbed the man he began ‘shouting for help’.

It is unclear why the man entered the tiger pen during his visit.

The zoo shares update on tiger involved in the incident

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has since confirmed that the adult Siberian tiger, called Altai, will not be euthanised following the incident.

In a statement shared with LADbible, the zoo said: “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life.

“The park will be closed today and the staff team who were deeply affected by events will receive specialist support.

“Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”

Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary and MP for Doncaster North, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the incident.

“I send my thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died. I am very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded,” he wrote in a social media post.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has revealed what will happen to Altai the tiger after it fatally attacked a visitor.

Emergency services were contacted after 1.30pm on Saturday when a man entered the enclosure and was attacked by the tiger at the park near Doncaster.

South Yorkshire Police said he died at the scene.

In a statement shared with LADbible, Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that the park will remain closed today.

“We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident,” the statement read.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life.

“The park will be closed today and the staff team who were deeply affected by events will receive specialist support.

“Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”

It comes after Tiger King star Carole Baskin told The New York Post that the animal, in her view, ‘was not doing anything wrong’.

“The tiger was not doing anything wrong by being a tiger. I am relieved to hear that the animal was not harmed,” she said.

“We don’t yet know all the circumstances that led to this man’s death, and it would be wrong to speculate,” she explained.

“What we do know is that a tiger is a powerful wild predator, and no amount of captivity, training, or familiarity can change that.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the man who lost his life today at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.”

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson has said that the individual died of his injuries.

“At 1.35pm today (Saturday October 10) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park,” they said yesterday.

“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.”

Alice, a woman who was at the park, told LADbible that it was all ‘very sudden’ with ‘a member of staff running around telling people to evacuate but wouldn’t say anything about why’.

“It felt chaotic. People near us were saying how they’d been near the tiger enclosure when they’d seen a young man climbing the fence into the enclosure where he had provoked the tigers which then retaliated,” she said.

“Some saying the tigers were shot, others saying it was gas canisters to spook them into their enclosures.

“When we left we had to walk the length of the park and pass nearby the tiger enclosure and could see emergency services dealing with the scene from afar but not close enough to make out any casualties etc.

“I was with friends and their young children. Thankful we weren’t in the area at the time.”

Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary and MP for Doncaster North, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the incident.

“I send my thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died. I am very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded,” he wrote in a social media post.

Onlookers who watched the tragic tiger attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park unfold have hailed the zookeepers for ‘doing everything they could’.

A man who has not yet been named was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday (10 October), shortly after he entered the animal enclosure.

Further details about the horror incident have now been shared, as visitors who were observing the big cats revealed how panic ensued as they watched him grapple with the tiger.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park was promptly evacuated yesterday afternoon after shots rang out while guests were milling around the attraction in Doncaster.

One witness told LADbible they saw ‘staff running around’ frantically and ushering people towards the exit, ‘but wouldn’t say anything about why’.

“It felt chaotic,” she said. “People near us were saying how they’d been near the tiger enclosure when they’d seen a young man climbing the fence into the enclosure where he had provoked the tigers which then retaliated.

“Some saying the tigers were shot, others saying it was gas canisters to spook them into their enclosures.”

South Yorkshire Police confirmed that the man had entered the tiger enclosure before he was ‘subsequently attacked’, resulting ‘in serious injury’.

In a statement shared with LADbible, the force said: “The tiger remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.

“We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this distressing footage.”

‘It’s horrific’

Those who watched the horror unfold in the Land of the Tigers area in the park have told how zookeepers sprang into action after the man entered the enclosure.

In video circulating on social media, visitors can be heard shouting at the tiger in a bid to distract it, while staff members then fired several gunshots into the air.

According to the reports, the animal eventually fled and hid nearby. The tiger was not injured. A ‘black screen’ was then erected around the enclosure.

The Manchester Evening News reported that the tiger is ‘absolutely fine’ despite the terrifying incident, while sharing some further details.

A source told the publication: “From start to end the incident was over within minutes. The keepers did everything they could. It’s horrific.”

“The barriers are huge,” they said of the enclosure. “You would have to really want to get inside the enclosure to be able to do it.”

The Land of the Tigers attraction, which opened at Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2011, is on a purpose-built two-acre reserve for Amur tigers.

These are an endangered subspecies and only around 500 are left in the wild.

The park is home to two of these tigers – one male named Altai, and one female called Tschuna.

After reports of a man being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park yesterday (10 October), police confirmed that he had died at the scene.

He was seen entering the tiger enclosure at the park near Doncaster with witnesses sharing what happened in the moments before.

South Yorkshire Police were called at 1:35pm on Saturday as the man, who has not yet been named, made his way in.

Witnesses described ‘chaotic’ scenes at the park as the sound of ‘shots’ were reportedly heard. One told LADbible: “People near us were saying how they’d been near the tiger enclosure when they’d seen a young man climbing the fence into the enclosure where he had provoked the tigers which then retaliated.”

Police confirmed the man was ‘attacked’, resulting in ‘serious injury’ as emergency services were unable to save him.

Witnesses describe the moments before

One told The Mail on Sunday that the man seemed to ‘psyche himself up’ with a ‘dance’ in the spectator are before climbing into the enclosure.

A woman who had been at the park claimed on Facebook that he had his ‘AirPods in dancing’ and ‘happily enjoying seeing the tiger’.

“He obviously wasn’t with anyone and he asked a total stranger to take a picture of him with the tiger in the background,” she claimed. She believed he ‘just wanted to play with the tiger’.

Another person who had also scene him in the viewing area with his ‘ear pods’ in commented: “It’s incredibly sad and people really do need to show more compassion. I agree that the park handled it really well and ensured everyone stayed calm when we were leaving.”

The tiger, called Altai, was not injured in the incident and remained in its enclosure.

Police statement

In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said: “At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.

“Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries. We are aware of videos circulating online and we would encourage people not to share this footage.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Park statement

Having closed for the remainder of the weekend, the park shared on Saturday: “We can confirm that a serious incident has occurred today at the tiger enclosure.

“Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene. We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened.

“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.”

Christa Pike is back in prison, which raises questions about what happens next.

The inmate, who is on death row for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer, survived two doses of pentobarbital during an attempted execution last month (30 September).

On Saturday, the 50-year-old was discharged from hospital and is now back at the Debra K Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years.

“She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery,” her lawyers said in a statement.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has not said what went wrong in the execution, while various medical experts have focused on whether a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue instead of entering her bloodstream.

Pike’s lawyers wrote in a court filing that ‘apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realise that the IV lines were not correctly placed’.

What happens next?

Three possible outcomes for her case are a second execution attempt using a different method, another attempt using lethal injection, or commuting her sentence.

But any second execution attempt could face significant constitutional challenges, according to Charley Dugdale, Associate Head of Law and Associate Professor at St Mary’s University Twickenham.

Dugdale tells LADbible that ‘existing US precedent suggests that a state may be permitted to make a second attempt’.

“In Louisiana ex rel Francis v Resweber (1947), the Supreme Court allowed Louisiana to try again after an electric-chair execution failed which the Court treated as an unforeseeable mechanical accident. This does not necessarily answer Pike’s case, but if Tennessee seeks another execution date, her lawyers could challenge it on several grounds,” she says.

How Pike’s lawyers can challenge a second execution attempt

Dugdale details seven ways Pike’s lawyers can appeal against another execution:

• An Eighth Amendment claim based on the physical and psychological effects of the first attempt.
• An argument that another lethal injection would expose Pike to a substantial risk of severe pain.
• A challenge based on Pike’s medical conditions and what happened during the first attempt.
• A request to prevent another execution until Tennessee discloses the findings of its investigation.
• Due process arguments concerning transparency and Pike’s ability to challenge a new execution plan.
• A challenge to any attempt to use the same protocol without meaningful changes.
• A competency claim if the failed execution caused injuries affecting Pike’s ability to understand the nature and purpose of the punishment.

“The legal significance of the investigation will therefore be considerable. What caused the first failure, and what Tennessee proposes to do differently, are likely to be central to any future litigation,” she adds.

Why Pike is on death row

At the age of 18, she carried out what a judge called the ‘horrific’ and ‘brutal’ murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville in 1995.

Pike and two friends lured the 19-year-old into the woods, where they beat, tortured, and killed her. Pike was sentenced to death at the age of 20.

Her legal team argued that her death sentence was disproportionate due to her severe childhood trauma, while Assistant Federal Defender Stephen Ferrell said was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

In her clemency petition, Pike wrote: “I was a mentally ill 18-year-old kid. It took me numerous years to even realise the gravity of what I’d done. Even more to accept how many lives I affected. I took the life of someone’s child, sister, friend. It sickens me now to think I had the ability to commit such a crime.”

Ask someone what pops into their head when you mention the word ‘treadmill’ and they’ll probably think of the cardio machine in most gyms around the world.

But did you know the treadmill actually originated as a labour device used to punish prisoners?

Invented by Victorian engineer Sir William Cubitt in 1818, the treadmill – or everlasting staircase as it was known then – was designed as a way to punish inmates by subjecting them to hours of hard labour.

That’s right, the exercise machine that very much feels like a torture machine during an intense workout was originally designed as a method of torture.

What did the original treadmill look like?

The treadmill looked a little different to the one you’re likely familiar with at the gym, as Cubitt’s design involved a large rotating wheel with steps, allowing multiple prisoners to climb the machine at the same time.

Prisoners would often be forced to walk on the treadmills for an average of six hours a day, getting an average of 12 minutes’ rest for each hour walked.

If you’re struggling to visualise how grim the punishment would’ve been, Zack D. Films has created a handy simulation revealing exactly what the prisoners were subjected to, which you can watch below:

I’d argue the contraption more closely resembles a step machine than the modern treadmill but either way, you can imagine it was pretty unpleasant to spend several hours a day on there.

According to academic Vybarr Cregan-Reid, the Victorian treadmill was the ‘perfect punishment’ of the time, with some of the devices created with the sole purpose of wearing out the prisoners rather than grinding corn or pumping water.

“They were invented to solve a problem,” he told BBC Radio 4. “It came out of the Enlightenment… this idea that punishment should be fair and appropriate, and it should teach the criminal to behave in a certain way.

“The idea was, they would walk, and they would do nothing and just go round and round and round… What they were doing was literally pointless.”

The treadmill punishment was typically handed down to inmates sentenced to hard labour for their crimes, with Cregan-Reid noting that author Oscar Wilde was forced to walk on a treadmill after being sentenced to two years of hard labour in 1895.

In Wilde’s case, two years of hard labour on the treadmill would cause irreparable damage to his health, as he died a couple of years after being released from prison.

The penal treadmill was eventually abolished in 1902.

One to think about next time you’re working out at the gym.