Chimp Attack Victim Pictures: Carla Nash Before and After Photo Slideshow
(Handout)
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) On Wednesday, Charla Nash revealed her gravely disfigured face on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," appearing on television for the first time since she sustained major injuries in a brutal chimpanzee attack in February.
PICTURES: Chimp Victim Charla Nash (Warning Graphic Images)
In photos before the attack, she sports a wide smile, her eyes sparkling.
(ABC News)
PICTURES: Chimp Victim Charla Nash (Warning Graphic Images)
Not anymore. Nash lost her eyes, nose, and hands during a horrific 12-minute mauling by her friend's 200-pound pet chimpanzee, Travis. Now, Nash is blind, can't smell and must eat through a straw, she told Winfrey.
But Nash's indomitable spirit remains. "I want to get healthy," she said on the show. "I don't want to wake up with nightmares."
She also said she wasn't angry. "I don't even think about it," she told Winfrey.
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PICTURES: Chimp Victim Charla Nash (Warning Graphic Images)
The Nash family has sued the animal's owner, Sandra Herold, for $50 million, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities."
Herold's attorney says attack was work-related and the case should be treated as a workers' compensation claim. Nash denied she was Herold's employee. Herold ran a towing business out of the same home where she kept the animal.
Nash's family also filed notice with Connecticut's Office of Claims Commissioner this month, asking for permission to sue the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said his office is reviewing the claim.
PICTURES: Chimp Victim Charla Nash
MORE ON CRIMESIDER
November 12, 2009 - "Oprah Chimp Victim" Charla Nash Wants $50M, Chimp Owner Lawyers Call it Work Accident
November 12, 2009 - Oprah: Chimp Victim Charla Nash (Warning Graphic Pictures) Says She Doesn't Remember Attack
November, 11, 2009 - Charla Nash Pictures After Attack: Eyes, Hands, Mouth Gone, But Will to Live Carries On
