Reconstruction shows how lethal injection can go wrong after Christa Pike's failed execution

A horrific real-life reconstruction showed how a lethal injection can and does go wrong after the botched execution of Christa Pike.

Pike, now 50, is in hospital after surviving the drug injections that were supposed to kill her - and we’re still getting to the bottom of why.

Real-life simulation shows what Christa Pike may have experienced

There are a lot of strands to this tale - Pike’s lawyers had initially presented reasons why she should not be executed in this manner, and afterwards they shared an angry reaction to the process and how it was executed.

Pike, sentenced to death for the murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1995, is now in hospital in a bad way, but was reported ‘at peace’ before the procedure.

Witnesses - including Slemmer’s mother - have described the scene at the execution room, including words and songs spoken by Pike before the business started.

But, for those of us who weren’t there, the process actually remains shrouded in mystery.

Just as a WARNING - this video is graphic and viewer discretion is advised.

The death penalty can go wrong when lethal injection is involved. Credit: YouTube/Death Penalty Fail

How a real-life lethal injection is carried out

In a terrifying video shared to YouTube channel Death Penalty Fail, a lethal injection scene is mocked up using real human actors.

As you can see from the video below, they’ve tried to make it as true to life as possible.

The first stage is all preparation.

The prisoner is brought in, then strapped to a gurney while the drugs - which include the controversial drugs that failed to kill Pike - are prepared as well as the IVs that will administer them into the body.

Then, those IV lines are inserted, although if that goes wrong - as this chilling simulation does - they may have to seek alternative veins.

This process can be distressing and upsetting, and must be particularly horrific in the mind of someone about to die.

Then - almost as a piece of grim theatre - the prisoner is raised on the gurney to face the window, behind which those permitted to attend are situated, to make a final statement, whatever that may be.

After that, the drugs begin to go in.

At this point - certainly in the simulation - only the doctors and chaplain are present.

Once that happens, an unconsciousness check is performed, just to check that the prisoner is really out.

However, there can be complications after that, as both the simulation and Pike’s case prove.

In that case, the doctors rush to see what the issue is, and the curtain descends to hide the horror from the viewers.

Lethal injection is among the most controversial methods of execution

Even among those who support the death penalty, lethal injection is controversial.

According to data from the Death Penalty Information Center, it is the most frequently botched execution, and has been known to cause long and drawn out deaths, potentially with some quite severe suffering for those involved.

After Pike’s execution attempt, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee paused all executions in the state, including one scheduled for later this year.

However, it remains to be seen what will happen to Pike - whether she will be executed ‘again’ or whether her sentence, as her lawyers have demanded, is commuted.

Another question remains about what state she will be in to serve any sentence at all, given what she has been through.

This simulation is obviously a work of (graphic) fiction, but it does at least attempt to capture the work done in the execution chamber and the reality of the death penalty and its application in the United States of America.

For Pike, it remains to be seen whether this is a process she will have to undergo once again.

Featured image credit: YouTube/Death Penalty Fail