How many lost limbs in boston bombing

It was a powerful moment on the last day of the government's presentation against the convicted bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The prosecution rested Thursday after calling 16 witnesses over three days. The government closed with testimony from more victims and family members, an FBI field photographer, and a Massachusetts surgeon describing the horrors of the bombing, the aftermath, and the ongoing recovery. One of the final witnesses called, amputee Marc Fucarile, testified from a wheelchair and glared at Tsarnaev as the convicted bomber stared straight ahead, making no eye contact with him.

Fucarile said he has endured 60 surgeries and told the jury how injuries to his other leg may eventually lead to him becoming a double-amputee. Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, newlyweds at the time of the attack that took one of his legs and both of hers, are able to take their dog to the park.

Marc Fucarile, a year-old who lost his right leg after the attack and experiences constant pain from damage in his left, can take his bike out around Boston. Marc has been fitted with a carbon fiber and titanium prosthetic commonly used by wounded veterans. The prosthetic is controlled by a microprocessor that that automatically adjust the limb and allow for more natural movements. Survivor Rebekah Gregory is pictured rock climbing after she lost her leg in the bombing that also injured her then-husband.

Celeste Corcoran, left, lost both of her legs in the bombings. She is pictured with husband Kevin and daughter Sydney who nearly bled to death from a piece of shrapnel. For other amputees, covering the cost of the devices is more complicated because insurance often isn't enough. Fucarile said fitting amputees with prosthetics is in an insurance company's best interest. The prosthetics Fucarile and other survivors were fitted following the attack are expected to last five to seven years and will soon need to be replaced.

The best replacement option will depend on what they expect their next phase of life to look like, according to Paolo Bonato, a lead researcher for artificial limbs at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston where several of the victims were treated.

One of the newer procedures developed involves directly connecting artificial limbs to bones using titanium implants. Since it was first performed in , 50 such operations have been done in the US, including 16 at Walter Reed, Potter said. Marc is pictured during at a fitting for his carbon fiber and titanium artificial leg at the Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics in Boston in March. Marc's prosthetic is controlled by a microprocessor that that automatically adjust the limb and allow for more natural movements.

Dr Carty's team hopes to combine improved amputation methods with more sophisticated prosthetics that amputees can control with their brains. The new lower-leg amputation technique preserves tendons normally severed during an amputation. Tendons connect muscles to bone and are necessary to move one's limbs.

Marc rides his hand bike, left, and Patrick goes for a jog in Cambridge, Massachusetts, right. The next step will be for researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop technology that can translate brain signals into movement of an artificial leg.

Researchers around the country are also developing technology that would allow amputees to perceive sensations through their prostheses. The surgical feat has been accomplished in only a few countries, including Spain and Canada. Opposition to the death penalty, as shown in opinion polls, has increased in the United States, while its use has declined.

Liberal-leaning Massachusetts is among the growing number of U. Polls in and found a majority of Boston voters favored a life sentence for Tsarnaev.

This year's marathon is being run on Monday, two days before the Supreme Court's arguments. Even during his trial, victims disagreed about Tsarnaev's punishment. Bill and Denise Richard, Martin's parents, in a open letter published in the Boston Globe newspaper urged prosecutors not to pursue the death penalty, saying it would prompt years of appeals and "prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives. During conference calls organized by prosecutors over the years, survivors expressed views on both sides of the debate, according to Andrew Lelling, the former top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts.

Borgard, 30, said he worries that the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, could use this case "as a rationale for the execution of other human beings. Abbott received a prosthesis for walking but said insurance would not cover any additional prostheses that would allow her to live the full life she had. With the help of donations and organizations that assisted the victims of the bombing, Abbott was gifted a lifelike prosthetic leg that allowed her to wear high heels again and other prostheses that allowed her to run and paddleboard.

Often, insurance companies will only cover a basic prosthesis for walking, deeming cosmetic prostheses medically unnecessary. So, in December , she created the Heather Abbott Foundation. Its beneficiaries range in age from 6 to 58 and have been gifted prostheses that allow them to wear high heels, run, swim, and play sports. Kori Tickel was one of the first recipients -- a young girl who had lost her leg after a lawnmower accident when she was 2.

An avid athlete, Tickel wanted a running prosthesis that would allow her to keep up with her teammates. Abbott gifted her a running blade and has continued to help Tickel over the years as she grew out of her prostheses.

Kori Tickel received her first running prosthesis when she was 8 with the help of Abbott's nonprofit. Now 14, Tickel plays volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and loves riding her bike and snowboarding.

For Abbott, this work is about more than giving someone a prosthesis; it's giving them their dignity. And while she's helping heal others, she's also healing herself. Two people who did this to me yet so many more wanted to help, and that was amazing to me," Abbott said.