Christa Pike Survives Botched Execution, Attorneys Seek Evidence Preservation Christa Pike, the only person to survive a lethal injection in the U.S., is angry, confused, and facing an uncertain recovery after Tennessee's failed execution attempt. Her attorneys are seeking a court order to preserve evidence and investigate what went wrong. Christa Pike is angry and confused after surviving Tennessee's failed attempt to execute her with two doses of pentobarbital, her attorneys said. Pike, 50, regained consciousness almost six days after the Sept. 30 execution attempt and remains in intensive care with severe burns and blistering on her arms. "She is angry and confused about everything right now. She is very aware of what they did to her up to a point," attorney Randy Spivey said during a news conference Wednesday. Pike's legal team said her prognosis remains unclear and she faces a lengthy recovery."While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured," her lawyers said in a statement. "Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die," the attorneys added. "Christa also continues to experience cognitive challenges with concentration and memory.Tennessee Orders Evidence Preservation" At a hearing Wednesday in Nashville, Pike's attorneys asked the court to order the Tennessee Department of Correction to save evidence and provide more information about what went wrong. Chancery Court Judge I'Ashea Myles ordered the state to preserve anything that was in the actual room, including recordings, witness accounts, emails, drugs, syringes, IV lines, and other medical items."Part of the issue that we are facing is up until yesterday, our client was unconscious, unable to communicate with counsel, unable to communicate with medical providers, and without her consent" a new lawsuit cannot be filed, federal public defender Luke Ihnen told the court. The Tennessee Attorney General's Office said a court order was unnecessary. Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers said evidence from the death chamber already had been collected and logged. Republican Gov.Bill Lee has called what happened deeply disturbing and ordered a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred. The governor postponed the state's only other execution scheduled for this year. The attempted execution got underway around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 when Pike was given a chance to make a final statement. About five minutes later, Pike raised her head and said her arm was hurting.Timeline Of Failed Execution DetailsAt some point she appeared to lose consciousness, but she could be heard audibly breathing until media were escorted from the witness room at 8:53 p.m. An ambulance arrived at the prison at 9:14 p.m. to take Pike to a hospital. She is handcuffed to the hospital bed. Medical and lethal injection experts have focused on the possibility that a problem with the IV line caused the drug to pool in her tissue rather than entering her bloodstream.Pike's attorneys wrote in their court filing that apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown. The Death Penalty Information Center says Pike is the only person to survive after receiving lethal injection drugs during an execution.Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology and surgery in Atlanta who consulted as an expert for Pike's legal team, said it could be weeks or months before anyone knows exactly what her recovery might look like, and whether her competency could be restored so the state can try again to execute her. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of her 19-year-old Job Corps classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in January 1995, when Pike was 18.Attorneys Seek Drug And Needle RecordsThe case has drawn renewed attention following the failed execution. Pike's attorneys want evidence preserved including drug lot numbers, needles, execution logs and other information. They are seeking a court order to preserve records and other evidence from the Sept. 30 execution attempt."I do not have an explanation for what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning but I do know she has a long road to recovery," Spivey said. The legal team continues to seek answers as Pike remains hospitalized.