2021 Chip Chick Media Inc. All rights reserved. [6], The university gave the National Forestry Hero Award to an employee of Steely Lumber Co., James Gibson, for rescuing students. Zofkie was at a friend's house in Carmel that night making s'mores. Within hours, 50 news satellite trucks were broadcasting from the Texas A&M campus. It was a little bit of a tough couple of months, said Zofkie. And she still feels it, her mother said. Her older siblings brother, Andrew, from Dallas and sister, Sophia, in college rushed home to be by her side. Here's what to know. HOUSTON A Houston-area survivor of the deadly 1999 Texas A&M University bonfire collapse is recounting his story. Then, she'll get to come home and then, we'll go back to Riley three or four days a week for physical therapy with her," Sarah said. Sarah got to Riley Hospital for Children just in time to see Natalie before doctors rushed her to emergency treatment. "You go from high to low, almost angry to sad.". After gasoline was poured on the bonfire, the flames exploded and set both Natalie and her friend, James, on fire. "[25], Detractors further blamed the school for the accident, saying that, in the name of tradition, administrators turned a blind eye to an unsafe structure being constructed with minimal engineering and safety protocols. It was a tradition that spanned decades; students would spend months constructing a massive log tiered tower to be burned on campus before a rivalry football game. "If the skin grafts take, we're still not out of the woods yet. "I want people to realise the dangers associated with bonfires and how quickly things can go wrong. You didnt think it was happening. "Having an injury like that, all of that tissue has to come off.". People tried to put out the fire. A New Hampshire mother is dealing with the death of a child for the second time after one of her sons recently died from a bonfire accident. Natalie pulled through that first night, then the first week and now the first month. She's endured about a dozen surgeries and painful rehabilitation for her skin grafts. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. Smith and two passengers20-year-old Erick Fadness, of Decorah, Iowa, and an unidentified 16-year-old girl . Zofkie reunited with friends who have prayed for months for her recovery. 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. Comstock returned to A&M in 2001 to finish his degree. "Any father or mother who sees their child in a burn unit, it's just a roller coaster of emotions," her uncle 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. "He told me to call everybody because she was not going to make it," Sarah said. Please subscribe to keep reading. Natalie, 11, had been critically burned in an accident around a fire pit at a friend's home. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. There were also boys at the scene who werent injured but helped put the flames out, and helped put water on everybody who feel guilty that they didnt do enough, Ellen Bachner said. Officials have not released the names of the victims; the Bachners described the teens as having varying degrees of injuries, some still hospitalized. With so much changing so quickly, keep on top of what is happening with the Mirror's news updates by email. A few days after the accident, Laynes mother told CNN affiliate WFOR, that her daughter and friends were roasting marshmallows that night at a friends backyard. "It felt like I was burning for a lifetime, and I genuinely thought this is how my life is going to end.". She sits in the bathtub to keep warm, a heater on full blast raising the temperature in the bathroom as she shivers. The collapse time is disputed. She sustained severe burns on her face, chest, arms, hands, and back, and within her first year of recovery, Natalie underwent twelve laser surgeries, a free-flap neck surgery, and five full-thickness skin graft surgeries. Smith returned home several weeks ago. Natalie Dempsey, a 21-year-old volunteer firefighter at the Mizpah Volunteer . "Those kids are some of the most resilient kids I see.". Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In 2002, Bowen announced that the bonfire was officially cancelled. According to the press release, charges are pending. Leaving April and Michael unable to work for an unknown amount of time. "It was less than a 30-minute drive, but it felt like we were never going to get there," Sarah said. Oxycodone helps relieve the pain but also makes her nauseous. It just happened so fast, no one expected it, she said. However, the aftermath of the accident proved equally horrific as Louise suddenly realised the severity of her burns. The total amount of funds spent by the university on all disaster-related expenses by that date was $292,000. The purpose of this page is to keep our community well informed while supporting local businesses & events! After gasoline was poured on the bonfire, the flames exploded and set both Natalie and her friend, James, on fire. "For like almost a month, everyone thought I was going to die, said Zofkie. [12], On November 25, 1999, the date that the bonfire would have burned, Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony. GoFundMe pages have been set up for several of the victims. The sixth-grade girl then stood at the sidewalk as more fire engines, police cars and vehicles driven by other supporters filed past the house. Sophia drove overnight to be by Natalie's side. A website raising money for Chesney's medical costs reached more than $23,000 Thursday evening. Theres a form of survivors guilt, for sure, she said. One would allow the government to recover past overpayments. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band also played a tribute to the victims and, contrary to the usual tradition, marched off the field in a silent cadence. CNNs By Hollie Silverman, Dave Alsup and Laura Diaz-Zuniga contributed to this report. Students, including the entire Texas A&M football team and many members of the university's Corps of Cadets, rushed to the site to assist rescue workers with the manual removal of the logs. For information about the documentary, including showtimes and locations, click here. He was holding the gas can in his right hand resulting in the lost of the tips of all 10 fingers. [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. [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". At least eight people were injured in a fire that broke out in Glendale Heights last weekend--among them Autumn Hamilton. It absolutely reinforced in me the importance of life and the importance of relationships over everything else.. Aggie students, who normally sit only when the opposing band plays, stood throughout both performances and gave both standing ovations. In 1999, that game was against the University of Texas. The . Right now, Boyle needs seven blood transfusions. Everybody has hung out with her, babysat her, done something.". [11] An official memorial service was held less than seventeen hours after the collapse. I guess the gas can had about this much left in it, and the fumes are what ignited and caused the fire," Sarah said. 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, according to law enforcement. 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. She said only the soles of Laynes feet were not burned. "Seeing her was really, really tough especially when you know how she's always been, which is so spunky, always a light in a room. "93 percent of her body is burnt. 93 Monday marks 14 years since the tragic collapse of the Aggie Bonfire that claimed 12 lives and injured 27 others on the Texas A&M University campus. Copyright 2019 WAFF. See How All 50 Wards Voted in the 2023 Chicago Mayoral Election. At approximately 2:42a.m.[a] on November 18, 1999, the annual Aggie Bonfire at Texas A&M University collapsed during its construction, killing 12 people and injuring 27. First responders led the welcome home parade for 12-year-old Natalie Zofkie Wednesday. Discovery Company. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. She poured gasoline on the fire to make it bigger. Louise pleaded with people to stay safe and not take risks as bonfire night arrives and celebrations begin. Her uncle Dan told NBC 5 Thursday night she's in a medically induced coma and fighting for her life. [22] The final lawsuit, filed against two companies that provided crane operators and cranes for the bonfire, was settled in April 2014. The accident ended the bonfire as an annual campus tradition although students and alumni still hold the event off-campus without support from the university. It was an homage to this years prom theme: a night of a thousand lights. NOBLESVILLE, Ind. Several people received . She was airlifted to hospital as a result of her injuries and spent the next two weeks in intensive care. Zofkie left Riley Hospital for Children Wednesday morning after five months recovering from severe burns suffered Oct. 3 in a pit fire accident. 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"Dr. Hartman says you expect for every percent that she was burned [to equate to] a day in the hospital, so about 94 days. You can cancel at any time. [2][5] The Texas A&M civil engineering department was also called on to examine the site and help the workers determine the order in which the logs could be safely removed, and, at the request of the Texas Forest Service, Steely Lumber Company in Huntsville, Texas, sent log-moving equipment and operators. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. But, after this nineteen-year-old named Natalie attended her Friendsgiving event on November 25, 2019, her life changed forever. The annual bonfire, which began in 1909, was the ultimate tradition for many people on Texas A&M's 5,200-acre campus in College Station, about 100 miles . Louise then slipped in the puddle of fluid and fell flat on her back, covering herself in petrol as she fell. [6] John Comstock was the last living person to be removed from the stack. Bachner, a sophomore at Glenbard East High School, was was released from the hospital earlier in May after being treated for 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her face and head. WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: In a split second Louise Chadwick's entire lower body caught alight and the burning petrol that drenched her clothes was slowly starting to creep up her body - now she's warning others ahead of Bonfire Night. They are sharing their story in hopes of saving others from the horrific injuries their little Natalie Zofkie is dealing with now. [17] In 2005, 36 of the 64 original defendants, including all of the redpots, settled their portion of the case for an estimated $4.25 million, paid by their insurance companies. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices, cap costs at $35 for many people with diabetes. Autumn is among four others in the Loyola burn unit. Some eyewitnesses say the collapse time was before 2:42 a.m. and that 2:42 was the time of the police report. It heals through time.. Louise Chadwick suffered 13 severe burns on her shins, thighs, legs, feet, arms . As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has raised more than $86,000. 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. I remember getting up to the second layer which is roughly 40-45 feet, Davis said. The Carmel Fire Department responded to the emergency on that fall night last October. Natalie is burned mostly on her torso and face/scalp, about 40% of her body. "Every day that goes by I still think about what happened," Louise said. Before sunrise, the accident was the subject of news reports around the world. A woman engulfed in flames for five minutes in a freak accident has spoken of her horror ahead of Bonfire Night. The gauze is applied to Korryns face almost like papier-mache, thin strips coated with a topical burn ointment. So if I can do it, then you all can do it, because I am a wimp when it comes to pain.". Natalie said she will home school for the rest of this semester, then plans to return to class for seventh grade in the fall. Accelerant poured on the fire left both students with severe burns. Her face was still cloaked in bandages and a knit tube dressing, with openings for her hazel eyes, nose and lips. Zofkie spent five months in the hospital, including two months in a coma. It is been two weeks since sophomores James Boyle and Natalie Smith were injured at an outdoor bonfire. Recovery slow for teen severely burned in bonfire explosion. 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. 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