A man of Winnipeg on vacation in Hawaii has an uncertain future after an explosion of suspected gas in the grilled area of a seaside resort of Hawaii left him broken bones and significant burns.
Darren Stevenson was barbecue in a seaside resort in Maui on Thursday when the explosion occurred, his friend Randy Van de Mosselaer – who was with Stevenson until a day before the incident – told Global Winnipeg.
Van de Mosselaer said there were still a lot of unknowns about the state of his friend, but said he seemed to survive his injuries.
“He has complex fractures in the upper body, head, lower body, and about 15% of his body suffers from burns,” he said.
Winnipeg’s man Darren Stevenson recovers in a Hawaiian hospital after surviving an explosion on vacation.
Randy Van de Mosselaer
According to the management of the hotel and Maui police, the explosion injured seven people, three in a critical way, including Stevenson.
Van de Mosselaer said that his friend had been transported by Maui aircraft to Oahu, and that he has been on care there since.
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“He crosses several surgeries, and the good thing now is that he seems to survive the situation.”
Police said the official cause was investigated and that witnesses had indicated “a possible grill dysfunction” before the explosion.
The complex, the Whaler, has offered housing to Stevenson’s woman up to a week, but the medical procedures and the rehabilitation it will have to travel will be more likely to take months – or more.
Friends and family have set up a Gofundme To help cover the cost of medical treatment and subsistence costs for a word to say in Hawaii.
“It’s absolutely horrible, they say that life can change on a penny and that’s exactly what happened,” said Van de Mosselaer.
“I do not think that Darren’s life is never the same, but with our hopes, our prayers and our support, we hope that it can come back as normal as possible.
Van de Mosselaer described his friend as an altruistic person with a big heart and an unconditional fan of Winnipeg blue bombers.
“He is probably the first fan of the city bombers-his family lives just for the bombers,” he said.
“He always puts everyone in front of him. He gives, he is involved in the community and he has a big heart. »»
– with files from the Associated Press
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