Results tagged “chimpmauling”

On today's Oprah, the talk show host's interview with the Connecticut chimp mauling victim will be aired. Oprah Winfrey spoke to Charla Nash, whose eyelids, nose, lips and hands were torn off by her friend and employer's 200-pound chimp, at the Cleveland Clinic yesterday; it was Nash's 56th birthday. Winfrey said of their exchange, "I will have to say I've never seen anything quite like what's happened to her, and also never felt a spirit like that that has such resolve to get better and such a sense of resilience. It really made me think that I'll never complain about another thing ever again."

On tomorrow's episode of Oprah, the woman who was severely mauled by a 200-pound chimp will appear and discuss "how she's adjusting, how she maintains her spirit, and what the future holds." Charlas Nash has been recovering at the Cleveland Clinic ever since the March incident where she "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face and suffered significant brain, eye and tissue injuries in the attack." Back in June, her brothers said she was staying strong; more recently, her family has sued the chimp's owner and is planning on suing the state of Connecticut.

The family of a woman who was severely mauled by a chimpanzee plans to sue Connecticut for $150 million. A lawyer for Charla Nash, who remains at the Cleveland Clinic after 200-pound chimp Travis chewed off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids, says, "We believe the evidence will show that the state, acting through the Department of Environmental Protection, failed to adequately address a serious public safety issue that resulted in tragic consequences for our client." (A DEP biologist had warned about Travis before the attack.) Connecticut's attorney general is reviewing the suit and told the Courant it was a "horrific tragedy" but the lawsuit "seems unprecedented in size." Nash's family is also suing Travis's owner for $50 million, but her lawyer is trying to limit her damages by calling it a worker's comp claim.

Earlier this year, a Connecticut woman was severely mauled by her friend's 200-pound pet chimp Travis. Charla Nash "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face and suffered significant brain, eye and tissue injuries in the attack," and her family sued chimp owner Sondra Herold for $50 million in damages. Now, Herold is seeking to call the suit a worker's compensation claim—because Nash worked for her and Travis the chimp was a part of the business.

The older brother of the Connecticut woman who was severely mauled by her friend's 200-pound chimpanzee in February told the Daily News, "When she gets knocked down, she gets back up...Her psychiatrist asked her if she wanted to know anything about the event. She said, 'Nope. That's in the past.'" Charla Nash has been at the Cleveland Clinic for treatment; older brother Stephen and twin brother Michael have been taking turns being with her in Ohio and caring for her daughter in Connecticut. Michael Nash said, "Her acceptance [of her injuries] just shows her courage and fortitude. She's not concerned about what happened, she just wants to get fixed," adding that the letters and cards from people wishing for her recovery have helped her. The brothers also spoke to the AP over the weekend, saying that their sister was scared of the chimp owned by Nash's friend and employer Sondra Herold, noting that Nash had welded the chimp's cage a few times. However, Herold's lawyer wonders why Nash would willing come to Herold's house if she was scared; the brothers filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold.

Connecticut's General Assembly voted yesterday to ban chimpanzees, as well as other primates, as pets. This comes nearly three months after a Stamford woman was severely mauled by her friend's pet chimp—Charla Nash "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face and suffered significant brain, eye and tissue injuries in the attack." The Hartford Courant reports, the "bill would add only gorillas, chimps and orangutans to the list of wild animals already prohibited under existing state law: lions, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, ocelots, bobcats and other big, wild cats — as well as wolves, coyotes and bears." An earlier version of the bill, which included animals like "baboons, kangaroos, wolverines, hyenas, elephants, hippos, alligators, crocodiles, rattlesnakes, cobras and pythons," was stalled because apparently ferrets are related to wolverines, causing concern among ferret owners. Last month, Nash's family said on the Today show that she will need at least two more years of hospital care.

The Connecticut woman who was severely mauled by her friend's chimpanzee is making progress, according to her brothers. Charla Nash, who is at the Cleveland Clinic (she reportedly "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face"), was upgraded to critical but stable condition from just critical condition. Stephen and Michael Nash told the AP that she said her first word—"Lisa," the name of her nurse—two weeks ago. Now she's asking for her daughter (helped by a voice box), listens to music, and "tells her nurses if she is cold, tired or wants to be left alone." However, she does not know how injured she is: "Michael Nash said that with her level of sedation reduced, she will probably start asking questions soon about why she is in the hospital -- and a trauma expert is there to help her." While it's still unclear what brain damage his sister has suffered, Stephen Nash said, "I'm a lot more optimistic now. Everything she does is going in the right direction." The Nash family has sued chimp owner Sondra Herold for $50 million in damages.

Charla Nash, the Connecticut woman who was severely mauled by a friend's pet chimpanzee, remains under sedation, according to her doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The Stamford Advocate reports that they revealed the extent of her injuries as well: Nash, 55, "lost her nose, lips, eyelids, hands and bone structure in her mid-face and suffered significant brain, eye and tissue injuries in the attack." The hospital said that while her injuries have stabilized, "critical issues still remain related to a significant traumatic brain injury and injuries to her eyes that threaten her vision." The Stamford, CT police say the toxicology results for 200-pound chimp Travis, who was shot dead after the attack, will be available in the next few days. The decision whether the police will charge Travis's owner, Sondra Herold, (the police's criminal investigation is continuing) will take weeks. Nash's brother Stephen told the AP, "She's tougn. I'm optimistic. I think she can do it."