Jury deadlocks in amputee's malpractice suit

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The day Lisa-Maria Carter was told by doctors they had to amputate her hands and feet is a day she will never forget. The former intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense says she went into the hospital for a routine procedure, but left without hands and feet.

That was six years ago. Carter is now suing the hospital and doctor she says robbed her of her life, leaving her in a life of constant care.

Carter sat down with FOX 13's Gloria Gomez to talk about what it's like living in a nursing home, and being spoon-fed her meals and medication.

"I was like, 'I can't function without my hands. I work on the computer all day. How am I going to have a job? What am I gonna do?'" she recalled.

Lisa-Maria was about to be deployed to Iraq.

"I had a great job," she explained. "One mistake and all those years of working so hard all went away, in one fail swoop."

Nothing is ever quick or easy anymore, for Lisa-Marie. While her limbs may be gone, her sprit is in tact. Her wisdom is sharper then ever.

"This could happen to you, so never take life for granted," she said.

After the scheduled surgery to remove an ovarian cyst, Lisa-Marie's attorneys say her surgeon, Dr. Larry Glazerman, accidently cut her small bowel and didn't detect the mistake, leading to a massive infection.

When she woke up from a medically induced coma nine weeks later, she noticed her hands were black.

At first, she thought, "Why would I have my driving gloves on? Oh God, something bad happened," remembered Lisa-Maria.

Her hands and feet were black because she was suffering from gangrene, which happens when there's a lack of blood due to infection or injury, causing the tissue to die. Doctors knew it would spread if they didn't amputate her limbs.

Lisa-Maria says she spent days crying, mourning and coming to terms with what was next.

"So we scheduled the appointment to have my hands and legs amputated... Going and have them taken care of," a tearful Lisa-Maria explained.

During the weeklong malpractice trial, a jury heard all the evidence against Dr. Larry Glazerman, but couldn't agree on a verdict. They were hopelessly deadlocked. The doctor took the stand in court Thursday and said the mistake that cost the woman her way of life was not his fault.

Samantha O'Laker was on the jury and explained why some on the jury could not convict.

"I waited for that solid proof and it just didn't come," O'Laker explained.

While she has empathy for Lisa-Maria, she wasn't convinced the doctor was at fault.

"Even if the doctor did cut through the small bowel... we're human and he's a doctor," she added. "They didn't persuade me enough that he and his team were ultimately responsible in the end."

We asked Lisa-Maria what she thinks of Dr. Glazerman.

"I think he's a lousy surgeon and I don't think he should ever pick up a knife again, to even cut his own food," she said.

And cutting her own food is something Lisa-Marie knows should not be taken for granted. She is now spoon feed her medication and meals and needs 24 hour care. Her attorney, Ken Dandar expects to re-try this case by the summer.