Heather Abbott — Direct - Day 51 - 2015 Federal Trial

Survivors described amputations, treatment, and rescue efforts in penalty-phase testimony. David King offered medical opinions about Martin Richard’s death and vulnerability. The Court denied a mistrial motion over King’s testimony and admitted photographs and video exhibits while limiting witness interpretation of movements shown on video.

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Direct Examination - Heather Abbott

DirectDirectDirect Examination - Heather Abbott

HEATHER ABBOTT, duly sworn

COURT CLERK: State your name, spell your last name for the record, keep your voice up and speak into the mic so everyone can hear you.

HEATHER ABBOTT: Heather Abbott.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. MELLIN:

MR. MELLIN: Ms. Abbott, can you spell your last name for the court reporter?

HEATHER ABBOTT: A-B-B-O-T-T.

MR. MELLIN: Good morning.

HEATHER ABBOTT: Good morning.

MR. MELLIN: Ms. Abbott, where did you grow up?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I grew up in Rhode Island. Lincoln, Rhode Island.

MR. MELLIN: Did you go to school in Rhode Island?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I did.

MR. MELLIN: What did you do after high school?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I'm sorry?

MR. MELLIN: What did you do after high school?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I went to college at Stonehill College about 20 minutes south of Boston.

MR. MELLIN: Did you graduate?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I did graduate.

MR. MELLIN: Okay. And after graduation, what did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I went to work for a certified public accounting firm as an accountant.

MR. MELLIN: Did you stay with that?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I didn't. Eventually I got my MBA and went into human resources.

MR. MELLIN: Accounting was too boring so you moved on?

HEATHER ABBOTT: It was a little boring.

MR. MELLIN: All right. In April of 2013, were you in a job doing human resources?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I was.

MR. MELLIN: And at that time who were you working for?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I was working for Raytheon.

MR. MELLIN: On April the 15th of 2013, did you go to the area around the Boston Marathon?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I did.

MR. MELLIN: And did you attend the Red Sox Patriots' Day game?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: Is that something you did typically or often?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes. It was sort of a tradition, to go to the Red Sox game on Marathon Monday, and then walk over to the finish line afterwards.

MR. MELLIN: So on April 15, 2013, did you stay for the whole Sox game or did you leave early?

HEATHER ABBOTT: We left early.

MR. MELLIN: Where did you head after the Red Sox game?

HEATHER ABBOTT: We headed to the Forum restaurant where we had planned to meet some friends.

MR. MELLIN: Had you been to the Forum before?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I had.

MR. MELLIN: Approximately how many other times had you been at the Forum?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Probably five or six.

MR. MELLIN: So that day as you headed over to the Forum, what happened?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I headed over to the Forum with a group of friends. There were six, seven of us all together. We got split up and four made it inside before the three of us who lagged behind. And the three of us who were lagging behind knew that -- had gotten texts from them that they were inside and to meet them in there. So when we arrived at the Forum, we stood at the door, and the doorman asked for our IDs. And I was taking my wallet right out of my purse when I heard the first explosion.

MR. MELLIN: If I can have you, please, look at Exhibit 2101?

MR. MELLIN: Which is in evidence, your Honor.

MR. MELLIN: Ms. Abbott, do you recognize Exhibit 2101?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I do.

MR. MELLIN: And do you know that's the area right outside the Forum?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: Okay. The other times that you've been to the Forum, had you gone to the Forum on Marathon Monday?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: Did the Forum always have it set up where they kind of had this outdoor seating available?

HEATHER ABBOTT: They did.

MR. MELLIN: How crowded was that area right around the Forum as you came down?

HEATHER ABBOTT: It was extremely crowded.

MR. MELLIN: I'd like to blow up a portion of 2101.

MR. MELLIN: And as you look at that, do you see yourself in that photo?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I do.

MR. MELLIN: That's an interactive screen. Can you do us a favor and circle you in this photo.

HEATHER ABBOTT: (Witness complies.)

MR. MELLIN: All right. For the record, you circled the woman who has on a white scarf and a baseball cap?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: Okay. Who else was there with you at that time?

HEATHER ABBOTT: My friend Michelle and my friend Jessica.

MR. MELLIN: Do you see them in that blowup?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: Can you circle them as well?

HEATHER ABBOTT: (Witness complies.)

MR. MELLIN: And for the record, you circled the taller of the blonde women and then also a woman in the middle who's got a white top with dark hair?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: All right. So this was taken about the time of the first explosion. At that point what did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I looked in the direction of the explosion and I saw smoke and started hearing people scream, and immediately what came to mind was footage I had seen on 9/11 when the buildings collapsed.

MR. MELLIN: So what did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I didn't have a chance to do anything because before I could really even react, the second explosion occurred.

MR. MELLIN: When the second explosion occurred, what did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I was catapulted through the front doors of the restaurant, which were open, and I landed on the ground in a puddle of chaos and glass and blood right inside the front of the restaurant.

MR. MELLIN: So when we looked at that photo, 2101, you're outside the Forum; in fact, you're just kind of right at the edge of that seating area. Is that right?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: When the blast occurs, though, you are forced into the inside of the Forum?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

MR. MELLIN: When you're there, are you standing up or are you on the ground?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I landed on the ground.

MR. MELLIN: You mentioned that you saw chaos. Can you describe what you saw?

HEATHER ABBOTT: People were running in herds by me through the restaurant to get towards the back exit away from where the bomb was.

MR. MELLIN: What did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I felt as though my foot were on fire. I was in excruciating pain. And I thought -- I looked at it to see if it actually had flames coming out of it, and when it didn't, I decided I shouldn't look at it again because I was afraid I would pass out.

MR. MELLIN: When you looked at it, what did you see?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I didn't see anything, but it was extremely painful so I knew something was wrong and I knew I couldn't get up and run.

MR. MELLIN: So what did you do?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I started to crawl towards the back of the building where everybody was running to. And I was trying not to get trampled, and I started screaming out for help.

MR. MELLIN: Did anyone come over to help you?

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes. Two women came over, and they were trying to help me get up. One of them started saying the Hail Mary as she was helping me. And she realized that she wasn't going to be able to help me after she looked at my foot and she called her husband over, and he picked me up and started to carry me out.

MR. MELLIN: At that time what were you thinking?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I was thinking that I really wanted to get into an ambulance. I wanted to get away from where the bomb was. I didn't know it was a bomb at the time. And when I looked down at the ground while he was carrying me out, I saw blood pouring out of my foot.

MR. MELLIN: What were you feeling at that point?

HEATHER ABBOTT: I was in tremendous pain.

MR. MELLIN: Was there a specific part of your body that you felt pain or was it all over, or how would you describe it?

HEATHER ABBOTT: It was my left foot.

100

MR. MELLIN: The person that picked you up, what did he do with you?

101

HEATHER ABBOTT: He brought me out to the back. As he was carrying me, one of my friends that I had planned to meet came back into the restaurant to look for me, and he asked the gentleman that was holding me to give him -- to give me to him. And he said, "Look at her foot." And when I saw his face, he looked horrified. And they brought me back to the back alley and laid me down on the ground on the asphalt.

102

MR. MELLIN: Approximately how long were you in the back alley?

103

HEATHER ABBOTT: I'm not sure. It felt like forever. All I wanted was an ambulance to come get me, but I think it was just a matter of maybe a few minutes.

104

MR. MELLIN: Could you see blood while you were in the back alley, or did you see blood pooling?

105

HEATHER ABBOTT: I saw blood on my friend Jessica's coat who was holding me at the time and hugging me.

106

MR. MELLIN: At some point did someone come with a board to carry you out of there?

107

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yeah. While I was lying on the ground, there was a man and a woman who were discussing how to -- how to help me. They instructed one of my friends to give his belt, and they tied a tourniquet around my leg, which was extremely painful. They looked for a way to get me out of the alley, and they found a door in one of the Dumpsters. And when they were talking about how to get me on it, finally an ambulance arrived. But there was trouble getting back there because everything was barricaded. So the ambulance -- the EMTs came back and had to bring me back through the front of the restaurant onto the street to get me in the ambulance.

108

MR. MELLIN: You mentioned someone put a tourniquet on you. Where did they put the tourniquet on?

109

HEATHER ABBOTT: On my left leg.

110

MR. MELLIN: Above or below your knee?

111

HEATHER ABBOTT: I don't remember.

112

MR. MELLIN: Okay. You ultimately end up in an ambulance, right?

113

HEATHER ABBOTT: I'm sorry?

114

MR. MELLIN: You ended up in the ambulance?

115

HEATHER ABBOTT: I ended up in the ambulance. They wouldn't let anyone come with me because the ambulance was so full. And I didn't have my identification or anything. And I was very worried that no one would be able to find me, so I asked one of the EMTs to call my parents.

116

MR. MELLIN: Where were you taken?

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HEATHER ABBOTT: I was taken to Brigham and Women's.

118

MR. MELLIN: What happened when you got to Brigham and Women's?

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HEATHER ABBOTT: When I got to Brigham and Women's, I finally kind of let go. And I don't really remember much of what happened aside from getting wheeled inside the front doors.

120

MR. MELLIN: When you say you let go, what do you mean by that?

121

HEATHER ABBOTT: I was just very worried about what was going to happen to me, about getting into a hospital, getting treated, because I knew that my foot was hurt pretty bad. So I think when I got there, I knew it was okay to just put myself in the hands of the doctors there at that point.

122

MR. MELLIN: Did you have surgery at that point?

123

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

124

MR. MELLIN: And what was the result of the surgery?

125

HEATHER ABBOTT: During that surgery they were trying to save my left foot. They took a vein out of my right leg and transferred it to my right foot -- my left foot. And they were trying to assess whether or not it would be salvageable.

126

MR. MELLIN: How many attempts were made to salvage your foot?

127

HEATHER ABBOTT: Three.

128

MR. MELLIN: When was the last attempt?

129

HEATHER ABBOTT: The last attempt was the Thursday after the bombing.

130

MR. MELLIN: And then at that point what happened?

131

HEATHER ABBOTT: The surgeon told me that I had a choice to make. He told me that he recommended having my leg amputated below the knee, which was surprising to me because it was just my foot that was injured. But he said in order to wear prosthetic devices, I'd have to have more of my leg amputated than just the part that was damaged. Or he said I could keep the leg, and he told me that I'd have to have my ankle fused. And because my heel was entirely blown off, I would have to have skin from another part of my body transferred to my heel. And he told me that one of my legs would be shorter than the other, I would never run again. He said maybe I'd be able to walk but I'd be in excruciating pain and I would have to have dozens and dozens of surgeries.

132

MR. MELLIN: Prior to April the 15th, had you run before?

133

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I did.

134

MR. MELLIN: That weekend had you run in any races?

135

HEATHER ABBOTT: No, I didn't.

136

MR. MELLIN: Okay. How did you make the decision what to do?

137

HEATHER ABBOTT: The surgeon sent many veterans in to talk with me who had similar blast injuries, and they talked to me about limb salvage and their experiences. And after a lot of thought and consultation, I decided to go ahead and have my leg amputated.

138

MR. MELLIN: How did that make you feel?

139

HEATHER ABBOTT: It was probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make.

140

MR. MELLIN: In total, how many surgeries have you had?

141

HEATHER ABBOTT: Four on my leg, and I had an in-office surgery on my ear -- eardrum.

142

MR. MELLIN: What happened to your ears?

143

HEATHER ABBOTT: There was a hole in my right eardrum.

144

MR. MELLIN: And as you sit here today, are you wearing a prosthetic leg?

145

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I am.

146

MR. MELLIN: I believe it has a high heel. Is that right?

147

HEATHER ABBOTT: It does.

148

MR. MELLIN: Okay. In fact, it has your toes, is that right, as well?

149

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes.

150

MR. MELLIN: Since April the 15th of 2013, have you had a chance to meet the other amputee survivors?

151

HEATHER ABBOTT: Yes, I have.

152

MR. MELLIN: Okay.

153

MR. MELLIN: If we could, I would like to pull up a few photos. We could start with -- and just for the witness, your Honor -- actually, if there's no objection, I will just seek to admit 1653 through 1669 excluding 1658.

154

MS. CLARKE: Subject to the previous --

155

THE COURT: All right. As we previously discussed, those may be admitted.

156

(Government Exhibit Nos. 1653 through 1657 and 1659 through 1669 received into evidence.)

157

MR. MELLIN: Thank you. If we could pull up 1656, please.

158

BY MR. MELLIN:

159

MR. MELLIN: Ms. Abbott, do you recognize who's in photo 1656?