‘Miracle I’m alive’: Winnipeg man reflects on surviving barbecue explosion in Hawaii

Darren Stevenson and his wife Diane, both 60, sit at their kitchen table and look at pictures from their Hawaii trip last year.

“It’s a miracle I’m alive,” Darren says.

Their trip to paradise ended in a nightmare when the barbecue at their condo on Kaanapali Beach in Maui exploded while Darren was grilling dinner.

“I remember a concussive force hitting my body,” Darren said.

Diane had just finished making the side dishes for dinner and decided to join Darren when a horrifying scene unfolded before her eyes.

“He was covered in blood from head to toe. I didn’t know if he was going to die in front of me,” Diane said.

The explosion blew Darren 30 feet away.

“Somehow miraculously didn’t crack my head open or break my back,” Darren said.

But the explosion did cause other extensive injuries.

“My jaw was broke in half and dislocated,” Darren said.

He also had multiple lacerations on his neck, jaw and face. He had broken teeth and second and third burns across his body.

He also broke nine ribs and a leg, which also had a massive hole in it.

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Darren spent weeks in Hawaii hospitals before being flown back to Winnipeg for care and four additional surgeries.

“I had a rod put in to stabilize the bone but there’s a hole there (in his leg) and the hole doesn’t heal itself right, so they had to take a large segment of my left thigh and transplant it to the right shin,” Darren said.

It’s been a challenging year learning how to walk and eat again.

“Independence has been a real challenge for me,” Darren said. “I’m still not able to drive. I’m able to walk. I’m able to eat most things now.”

Lawyers in Hawaii have now filed a lawsuit on behalf of Stevenson and 12 other victims of the explosion. They claim many failures led to the preventable catastrophic event.

Because this matter involves ongoing litigation, Mila Salvador Stillings, the

Due to the matter involving ongoing litigation, Mila Salvador Stillings, the general manager of The Whaler, the condo where the explosion is alleged to have occurred, was not able to comment on the lawsuit at this time.

Meanwhile, back at home, the outpouring of support since the explosion has been overwhelming for Darren. It’s especially notable from the people he grew up with in Winnipeg’s Weston neighbourhood.

“I think about some of the people I went to school with who still live there and don’t have a lot and they’re donating 10, 25 dollars, and I know these people can’t afford this,” Darren said.

Darren is full of gratitude for Diane, whom he says has been an important support system through this challenging time, and for their community.

The community support continues to be felt, especially as Darren prepares for more surgeries.

However, the high school sweethearts are optimistic they will eventually get back to doing everything they enjoy.

“I love him and I want to be able to spend as much time with him doing fun things,” Diane said.

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