Roseann Sdoia

Roseann Sdoia testified for the prosecution on Day 28 about the explosion outside Forum and its physical consequences. Under Steven D. Mellin's questioning, she described watching the marathon near a mailbox, hearing an explosion to her left, and turning to run before seeing two flashes of white light at her feet.

She recounted severe bleeding, fear of dying, and assistance from bystanders, including student Shores Salter. She described a tourniquet, police and firefighter aid, and transport to Massachusetts General Hospital in a police wagon. Her right leg was initially amputated below the knee and ultimately above the knee. She also described burns, ear surgery, dialysis after her kidneys shut down, rehabilitation at Spaulding, prosthetic use, mild hearing loss, and recurring phantom pain.

Sdoia acknowledged gaps in her recollection during shock and hospital arrival. She qualified her assessment of an injury photograph because she had not seen below her knee at the scene. The defense declined to question her.

Before her testimony, the defense challenged Exhibits 24, 25, and 26 as cumulative and unduly prejudicial. The court found the photographs sufficiently different to permit their use, then admitted them during her examination. They depicted her location, injuries, and rescue. In a separate examination, Michelle Gamble identified Sdoia among those remaining after the first explosion while reviewing photographic evidence.