But I don't know if I really deserved all that.". And for her to survive and be here today is a true miracle.". [2] Ten students and one former student were killed in the initial collapse, while another student died in the hospital the next day bringing the total deceased to twelve. "I got out of bed every day and went to my therapy, said Zofkie. "If the skin grafts take, we're still not out of the woods yet. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. There's definitely a lot of pain and tears and it was very lonely. "Every kid should get that when they survive a burn and they're coming home, said Zofkie. "She's been here close to a month, and she honestly hasn't batted an eye, so she's doing great.". [14] Various organizations also established funds in memory of the victims and to help with expenses incurred because of the accident. What was supposed to be a nice end to the evening and warm everybody up, though, quickly turned into a tragedy. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, READ THE DOCUMENTS: Akorn's Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, UAW, Caterpillar reach tentative agreement, Decatur workers file class action lawsuit against Akorn, LSA to become Unity Christian School this summer, Akorn files for bankruptcy, hit with class action suits, Judge change in Decatur couple child rape and porn case, Decatur Public Schools announces new diversity, equity, and inclusion superintendent, Decatur man prints himself a gun, police say, Two candidates withdraw from Decatur school board race, Decatur police: Driver too drunk to tell 'park' from 'reverse', Akorn closing Decatur, all US operations; stuns workers, city leaders, Fleeing Decatur driver had child in car, police say, Wife attacks husband; now he needs surgery, Search the latest Macon County real estate transfers. But I dont really think about it (now). The family is grateful for all the support from the community, including family, friends and strangers who have provided meals now that Sarah is back to work. A GoFundMe was started to raise money for the hospital expenses. Carmel Fire Department paramedic Arielle Morgan shared a long embrace with Zofkie as family and friends gathered outside the house when the parade concluded. Hazel Green High School hosting blood drive to help students burned in fire, 59-year-old Florence man killed after being hit while riding bicycle, Many North Alabama residents experiencing power outages due to severe weather, Girl falls on bungee trampoline at Parkway Place Mall, At least 5 injured in fire-related incident in Hazel Green. "This year, I'm going to face my fears head on surrounded by my family, and speaking out about my accident is definitely a way of helping me accept what's happened.". It heals through time.. Some nights in the hospital brought nightmares, she recalled, her mind replaying images of the fire. She doesnt really know how her face looks under the dressing. I guess the gas can had about this much left in it, and the fumes are what ignited and caused the fire," Sarah said. The original goal on the GoFundMe page was set for $20,000, but has been increased to $25,000 . [2] Immediately after the collapse, emergency medical technicians and trained first responders of the Texas A&M Emergency Care Team (TAMECT), a student-run volunteer service, who staffed each stage of construction, administered first aid to the victims. A car accident late Friday night in Union County has left two injured and one dead. [17] The plaintiffs pointed to a $2 million liability policy the university obtained in 1996 and accidental death and dismemberment insurance policies that the university obtained for student workers as early as 1987 as proof that the administrators knew of the dangers of the bonfire. Natalie is front right. They were both med-flighted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee,. Before the collapse, some people, such as Texas A&M engineering professor Theodore Hirsch, expressed concerns about the safety of the bonfire, citing the partial collapse that occurred in a previous bonfire, the progressively shorter bonfire burn times which had dropped from several hours to collapsing in less than 20 minutes, and numerous incidents involving alcohol or unsafe horseplay at the bonfire site. It just happened so fast, no one expected it, she said. "We're able to use a combination of her own skin, spray skin and some cultured skin, which we sent away to get cultured, and that comes back to me in about three to four weeks," Dr. Hartman said. In 2002, Bowen announced that the bonfire was officially cancelled. Louise pleaded with people to stay safe and not take risks as bonfire night arrives and celebrations begin. Zofkie left Riley Hospital for Children Wednesday morning after five months recovering from severe burns suffered Oct. 3 in a pit fire accident. He was holding the gas can in his right hand resulting in the lost of the tips of all 10 fingers. "Those kids are some of the most resilient kids I see.". 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[10], At noon, students held an impromptu prayer service in the center of campus, at Rudder Fountain. "I sat in the [waiting] room for like three or four hours while they tried to stabilize her. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 25-year-old Natalie Smith was driving west on County Road 18 near Southwest 78th Place with 29-year-old Tyler Ritchie and another passenger around 11:37pm when, for unknown reasons, the 2007 Honda Accord went off road and onto the north shoulder. Authorities have said one of about 25 high-school-aged students at a party poured gasoline from a 5-gallon can onto the fire; that teenager was a boy who was also severely injured in the explosion . The university agreed to pay $2.1 million and promised that if the bonfire returned to campus that "engineering oversight" would be provided. Each morning, the mother changes the dressing that covers the burns on her daughters face and neck, examining how much the delicate skin beneath has healed. appreciated. They will do physical therapy with her there. Korryn hopes she wont need surgery. That is why medical academy teacher Tyann Thomson and fellow teachers decided to organize a blood drive. Natalie's mom, Sarah Zofkie, was asleep when she got the call. The Bachners said she was treated for almost two weeks at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., eight days in the intensive care unit and five days in the burn center. The film details the Bonfire collapse, follows the survivors and honors those who died. She has a spirit like nobody else.". At half-time, the Texas Longhorn Band dedicated their performance to the students lost and injured in the collapse, and ended by playing "Amazing Grace" and "Taps", then removing their white hats in a show of respect as they walked off the field. Current and former students debated whether the proposed division of labor could be considered a student project. [1], The 59-foot-high (18m) stack, consisting of about 5,000 logs, collapsed during construction. Two teens badly burned in bonfire mishap. [7] By 2000 Texas A&M spent over $80,000 so students and administrators could travel to the funerals of the deceased, including $40,000 so 125 students and staff could attend a funeral in Turlock, California by way of private aircraft; most of the persons on board were students. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices, cap costs at $35 for many people with diabetes. Her uncle Dan told NBC 5 Thursday night she's in a medically induced coma and fighting for her life. As she was at a friends house, she was involved in a bonfire accident. To her mother, the raw, new skin appears a little bit better each time the dressing is removed and replaced. GoFundMe pages have been set up for several of the victims. An explosion occurred. James spent over four months in the Vanderbilt Burn Center with burns on 85. According to the press release, charges are pending. He said about 20 percent of the burns they come across at Riley are from the exact same cause but said Natalie's are the worst he's seen. Sign up here. It absolutely reinforced in me the importance of life and the importance of relationships over everything else.. At the Systems Building, Texas A&M leaders erected pictures of the deceased students. People sent thousands of e-mails about the cartoon to the newspaper offices. MADISON COUNTY, Ala. - In November 2019, James Boyle and Natalie Skye were burned in an explosion during a bonfire. Students at Glenbard East High School sent Korryn Bachner, 15, sent this poster filled with positive messages to her after she was burned in a bonfire accident last month. Natalie Dempsey, a 21-year-old volunteer firefighter at the Mizpah Volunteer . The horror fire while she was refurbishing her daughter's bedroom with her daughter's ex-boyfriend, and the two ripped out a wardrobe which later needed disposing of. Several people received burns and were shortly transported to nearby hospitals, authorities said. Eventually, Louise's clothes were wet enough to extinguish the flames and she was able to briefly escape the torture she'd just endured. In March of 2020, just one month after she was discharged from the hospital, Natalie began sharing her story on her Instagram account, @NatalieSkyye. Photos from the night capture her smiling profile, the contours of her face smooth and unblemished. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. It is been two weeks since sophomores James Boyle and Natalie Smith were injured at an outdoor bonfire. It took over a year for her burns to heal, but the scars she has will stay with her forever, both physically and mentally. Theres a form of survivors guilt, for sure, she said. COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KTRK) -- Hundreds gathered on the campus of Texas A &M University early Wednesday to remember the 12 people who died when Aggie Bonfire collapsed 21 years ago. Davis was buried, pinned in a small cavity with several broken bones and a collapsed lung. They are sharing their story in hopes of saving others from the horrific injuries their little Natalie Zofkie is dealing with now. Over 40,000 people lit candles and observed up to two hours of silence at the site of the collapse, before walking to Kyle Field for yell practice. So her friends and her date decided to surprise her by bringing the school dance to her Lombard home, greeting her with a pink bouquet and decorating her family room with a string of white lights. [11], The following day, the Aggies upset the Texas Longhorns, winning 2016 in the annual rivalry game. Korryn was released from the hospital May 10, but her injuries meant she had to miss the remainder of the school year as well as her May 12 prom at Glenbard East High School. A friend painted her nails a bright shade of pink to match the flowers on her dress, the flesh of her hands shiny and newly grown, still recovering from the burns. She poured gasoline on the fire to make it bigger. Its not too bad to talk about, she said. Smith returned home several weeks ago. Some eyewitnesses say the collapse time was before 2:42 a.m. and that 2:42 was the time of the police report. Sophia drove overnight to be by Natalie's side. He was in his 30s and from the Antiville area of Larne. Boyle and Smith remain hospitalized at Vanderbilt Hospital. The firefighters who treated Zofkie at the scene welcomed her home, leading the parade that provided the Zofkie an escort for the last few miles to her home. [13], The Bonfire Memorial Commission collected the hundreds of thousands of items that were left by grieving visitors at the site of the collapse. [11] An official memorial service was held less than seventeen hours after the collapse. On December 1, the newspaper sent a total of $10,000 in two checks as a peace offering to the university, with $5,000 to the Bonfire Memorial Fund and $5,000 to the Bonfire Relief Fund. A Carmel Fire Department engine led the parade of more than 50 vehicles Wednesday through a Noblesville neighborhood to escort 12-year-old Natalie Zofkie home from the hospital. Recovery slow for teen severely burned in bonfire explosion. You didnt think it was happening. But burn healing is a long, long process. A 16-year-old Florida girl who was badly burned in a 2017 New Year's Eve bonfire accident has died, according to her mother. Georgia, who was upstairs at the time, came rushing down to the sound of Louise's screams, and filled up several jugs of water to frantically throw over her mother. I remember getting up to the second layer which is roughly 40-45 feet, Davis said. Natalie Smith and James Boyle were burned at an outdoor fire in November. She wore the dress shed selected before the fire a black off-the-shoulder top with a floral-patterned flowing skirt, with a shimmery necklace and matching bracelets adorning her neck and wrists. On November 25, 1999, the date that the bonfire would have burned, Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony. RELATED: 12-year-old boy and his dog killed by wildfire in Oregon, RELATED: Young heroes rescue Marion man from burning home. [9] Bowen's successor Robert Gates upheld this decision, stating that a "change in the status quo regarding the future of Bonfire would be inappropriate while litigation is still on-going". by It was, like, unreal. They're just like waiting there. Natalie Zofkie, a fun and loving girl from Noblesville, Indiana, was in a tragic burn accident this past weekend. Updated The TAMU administration declined to accept the money and returned the checks. Officials have not released the names of the victims; the Bachners described the teens as having varying degrees of injuries, some still hospitalized. At the end of the service, as A&M University President Ray Bowen presented roses to the families of the dead and injured students, the crowd spontaneously stood in silence, linking arms with those standing next to them, before quietly singing "Amazing Grace". Websites in favor of the bonfire continuing: Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}303722N 962007W / 30.6227N 96.3352W / 30.6227; -96.3352 (Bonfire Memorial)- Bonfire Memorial, Recovery operation the morning after the incident. On April 20, she arrived home after dark to find lit candles spelling PROM? across her driveway. It was a little bit of a tough couple of months, said Zofkie. 1:17 AM EDT, Sun May 12, 2019, Teen gravely injured at marshmallow roast (2018), a Facebook page for her supporters reported Friday. While grappling with the tragic accident, though, Natalie never shied away from sharing her story and educating the community about what its like to be a burn survivor. James returned home from Vanderbilt's Burn Center in April after more than four months in the. All rights reserved. [6], The university gave the National Forestry Hero Award to an employee of Steely Lumber Co., James Gibson, for rescuing students. Only after all of the rescue workers and family members had left the facility did the audience depart. "I can't tell you how many times I've poured gas on a fire out of ignorance of the implications. Natalie pulled through that first night, then the first week and now the first month. Louise then slipped in the puddle of fluid and fell flat on her back, covering herself in petrol as she fell. The gentle dabs of gauze feel like shards of glass on the 15-year-olds cheek. With so much changing so quickly, keep on top of what is happening with the Mirror's news updates by email. 2023 Cable News Network. The sophomore had planned to wear her hair in two French braids woven into a low bun, but her short brown locks were too badly singed in the blaze and had to be cut off. As many of you know Natalie Smith was in a terrible car accident resulting in some pretty serious injuries to her back and left hip. She fought a hard battle right until the end never wanting to quit because quitting was not in her nature a Facebook page for her supporters reported Friday. A website raising money for Chesney's medical costs reached more than $23,000 Thursday evening. Smith and Ritchie were transported to UF Health in Gainesville with non-life threatening injuries, while the other passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. "Any father or mother who sees their child in a burn unit, it's just a roller coaster of emotions," her uncle said. Discovery Company. "And thats just something simply that we can do by giving 15 minutes. 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