Mar 31, 2009 7:18 pm US/Eastern
Brothers: Chimp Attack Victim Talking, Responsive
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBS) ―
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Charla Nash lost her hands and much of her face in the February 2009 attack by Travis, a chimpanzee, in Stamford.
CBS
Two brothers of a Connecticut woman mauled by a chimpanzee say she can talk and respond to commands.
Stephen and Michael Nash told The Associated Press by telephone on Tuesday that they are encouraged by test results for brain damage to their sister Charla.
They say a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio asked her to step on the gas and she pushed her right foot down. That shows an understanding of how a car works.
They say she sits in a chair, listens to country music and tells nurses whether she is cold, tired or wants to be alone.
She lost her hands and much of her face in the February attack in Stamford. Hospital officials have said she may be blind and brain damaged.
Her potential for recovery has been unclear.
Nash's family filed a lawsuit in her behalf earlier this month seeking $50 million in damages against Sandy Herold, the primate's owner, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities."
The suit also alleges that Herold had given the chimp medication that further upset the animal. Herold has made conflicting public statements about whether she gave Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, to Travis on the day of the attack. The drug had not been prescribed for the animal, police said.
Herold knew the 200-pound chimp, Travis, was agitated when she asked Nash to come to her house on Feb. 16, the lawsuit said. The suit accuses Herold of negligence and recklessness for owning "a wild animal with violent propensities, even though she lacked sufficient skill, strength and/or experience to subdue the chimpanzee when necessary."
"Our client, Charla Nash, has suffered and will continue to suffer agony and pain beyond our comprehension," attorney Charles Willinger said at a news conference in Bridgeport. "This is a tragedy ... that should not have happened."
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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