Lawyers: Pike getting "life-saving care" after failed execution

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike is reported to be in critical condition and receiving life-saving treatment following a failed execution attempt on Wednesday. The state administered two doses of the lethal injection drug, but Pike survived. Legal experts say her survival is unprecedented. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered an independent review of the Pike execution attempt following what he called a "botched process."

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is a frontrunner to succeed Lee as governor, called for the state to return to using the electric chair. Pike's lawyers said the state's investigation did not go far enough and urged the governor to commute her death sentence. Prison officials reportedly spent an hour trying to establish IV access, using at least seven needles in Pike's left arm alone.

Her arm turned purple after the second round of chemicals, and she complained of sharp pain and reported blistering and burning around the injection sites. Pike's legal team had previously warned about medical issues with her veins. The lawyers did not have quick access to their colleagues or court officials overseeing the execution due to locked doors and a non-responsive emergency telephone number. Governor Lee called the failed execution a tragedy and expressed deep concern about the incident.