Two nights ago, a young boy in Rochelle was trying to ignite a leaf pile with gasoline. Evidently, there was a flashback and the boy ended up receiving 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body. He is currently in very critical condition at a university hospital in Chicago and is not expected to live. The newspaper didn’t release the name of the boy of course.
I just received an email from one of our coaching staff and found out that the boy was one of our young soccer players. The family had moved here from Chicago this year and now quickly relocated back to the city yesterday to be with the boy. I was quite close with all our players and this news really hurts. He and his family will be sorely missed.
That’s terrible. I am very sorry to hear and the severity sounds just awful. I used to babysit for a little boy who was burned badly playing with matches a few years before I met him. The recovery will be is a longone in so many ways, I hope he makes it.
There was a recent story in Seattle about two 4 year old kids who poured gasoline on an outdoor plastic slide to make it more slippery so they would go faster. The gas ignited, probably from static electricity, and one of the boys was burned over about 60% of his body. He lived only because someone passing by quickly put the fire out. But burns like that are bad.
Gasoline and fire and kids are a dangerous combination.
That is terrible news Bruce.
As part of my training while i was in the Army I had to work in a burn unit for a while. I don’t ever want to go thru what those people had to go thru.
Love and Light.
The Rochelle paper headlined this afternoon that Briain Noriega passed away last night. His school had put together Bravery wristbands in an effort to raise money for Briain and the community held several fund raisers over the past months to help the family. I didn’t have the opportunity to visit Briain after the accident but from the reports I received, he was indeed one of the bravest young boys I’ve ever come across.
Briain played in our 5th/6th grade soccer program and his older brother, Sergio, was a standout on my freshman team last fall. I believe I heard that his family will be returning or has returned to Rochelle. It will be nice to have them back but young Briain will be greatly missed.
I can’t say too much, just because I don’t have any experience with this sort of sadness, but I will say that I extend my thoughts to your young friend. Like Jethro, I’m always at a loss for words at fatal accidents such as these.
That’s such a sad story to have to relate. It sounds like the community is gathering together to support eachother. I hope Sergio is a strong boy, too. I am very close to my younger brother.
Wow that is really sad especially in such a preventable situation. I know a few people the have been burned really bad with gasoline and know how terrible the stuff can be.
