Paramedic Recalls Molten Rock Hitting Tour Boat in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — A passenger on a tour boat that was hit by lava off Hawaii's Big Island last week shielded his girlfriend and said he was waiting for death as searing debris ripped through the catamaran's roof. "I remember getting hit with the lava in my back and just waiting for the heat," Will Bryan, a 38-year-old paramedic who was on vacation in Hawaii told The Associated Press. "I just assumed that whatever hit me was lava and I was going to burn and die." His girlfriend, Erin Walsh, 31, was sitting next to him when lava rained down on them July 16. She said she was so traumatized she now can't stand to be near a running clothes dryer because the sound reminds her of the cacophony of lava that struck the boat. "It's getting better each day, but I definitely feel like I'm kind of suffering from some PTSD," she told the AP Monday by phone from Portland, where the couple lives. Walsh added she still has trouble being alone in the dark. The two were on a 49-passenger sightseeing boat that brings people to see lava from Kilauea volcano entering the sea. The volcano, which has been active for decades, began its latest eruption on May 3 and has destroyed more than 700 homes since. The volcano's magnificent illuminations lived up to the tourists' expectations, at least at the beginning. "Everybody oohed and awed," Bryan said. But that changed as the boat got closer. "You can hear the oohs and awes stopping. Everyone started to get ne...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents News News Videos Source Type: news