Family says Carruthers suffered stroke during halted injection
Tonya Hervey filed the complaint Wednesday with the Tennessee Department of Health against Dr. Mark Fowler, who participated in the May 21 execution attempt. The complaint says Carruthers suffered excruciating pain during the lethal injection procedure.
The complaint does not specify how or when the family believes Carruthers suffered a stroke, which they say left him with partial paralysis. Hervey declined an interview request.
During the attempted execution, the IV team established a primary line right away but then worked for more than an hour trying to insert a backup line. Maria DeLiberato, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney representing Carruthers, witnessed the attempts. According to DeLiberato, the team tried to insert an IV in Carruthers’ arm, hand and foot before Fowler attempted to insert a central line.
Lee called off the execution and gave Carruthers a one-year reprieve.