PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – John Van Deusen III was wheeled out of Rhode Island Hospital on a stretcher Thursday with bandages about his body, a soda bottle on his lap and a smile.
The 39-year-old became the last survivor of The Station nightclub fire to be released from a Rhode Island hospital.
The Feb. 20 fire, caused by pyrotechnics at a rock concert in West Warwick, killed 100 people and left about 200 injured.
Van Deusen, of Carver, Mass., said he remembers the night of the fire. The flashbacks haunt his dreams, but he can’t bear to discuss the details of the fire.
“It was hell,” he said. “End of story.”
Van Deusen, propped up in a rolling stretcher pushed by hospital workers, stopped in a hospital hallway to talk with reporters. An ambulance was waiting to take him to New Bedford, Mass., where he will continue rehabilitation.
Van Deusen, a father of two, said he had received letters of support from as far away as Japan. After being admitted to the hospital, he had been placed “on so many meds that I didn’t really know what was going on.”
Van Deusen sustained second- and third-degree burns on 35 percent of his body, said Jack Van Deusen, his father.
He had been in an induced coma for over a month, Jack Van Deusen said.
John Van Deusen overcame pneumonia, septic shock and kidney failure while in the hospital.
“For a while, we didn’t know if he was going to make it or not,” his father said.
John Van Deusen had been a mechanic at an airport in Plymouth, Mass. He had also been an auto mechanic. But he expressed doubt that he would ever return to the field.
“My hands are to the point where I can’t be a mechanic,” he said.
Christa N. Fadden, an occupational therapist at Rhode Island Hospital, said she was impressed by his recovery and that it was nice to see the last fire patient move on.
“It’s good to see him heal and getting more mobile,” she said, adding that only weeks ago, he “couldn’t wiggle his fingers, but now he’s moving them a lot.”
John Van Deusen said his first order of business when he gets home is to relax. Then, he said, he would consider starting an online business.
He said he still has a hard time walking on his own.
“I just hope to fight and get back on my feet again,” he said.
Each of the 43 fire victims admitted to Rhode Island Hospital survived.
Four survivors remain at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. One is in critical condition, one is in serious condition and two are in fair condition.
The fire claimed its 100th victim, Pamela Gruttadauria of Johnston, on Sunday at Mass. General.
The fire was touched off by pyrotechnics moments after the 1980s hard-rock band Great White kicked off its show. The sparks were followed seconds later by bright orange flames that climbed walls behind the stage, setting fire to a foam that was used as soundproofing.
Last week, attorney Ed McPherson, who represents the group, said Great White will set up a tour with other rock bands and donate their percentage of the profits to existing charities in Rhode Island.
John Van Deusen said he supports the band’s decision to tour.
“The band is my favorite,” he said. “It will not stop me from going to concerts.”
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AP-ES-05-08-03 1714EDT
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