ATLANTA — A young man who survived a terrifying boat explosion is speaking out about the fire that he believes nearly took his life.
Aiden Freeman was out tubing with his family on Lake Nottely in Union County Friday. He said after the stopped to get gas the explosion happened out of nowhere.
“It was just so fast, I just remember feeling really hot really quick,” Freeman said.
He told Channel 2’s Cory James in an exclusive interview that “next thing you know is I was on the floor.”
Freeman credits his dad for saving his life and his brother’s.
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The 20-year-old said his “dad he saw what happened and he was kind of able to pull me and my brother out.”
Matthew Miller is the children’s father. He told Channel 2 Action News that his kids were sitting near the engine compartment when flames erupted.
“They were like in it, fire everywhere, couldn’t see anything -- everybody screaming,” Miller said. “So I grab my first kid my oldest boy by the life jacket, and then grabbed the middle boy he’s 17.”
The family says their middle child, Isaac, has 80 percent of his body covered with burns.
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Brittany Miller, the children’s mother, said there’s “no worse feeling than this”; however, she is glad her husband quickly stepped in to save their family.
Aiden said he suffered burns on his leg, foot, and neck. Doctors are still determining if he will have to have surgery.
Isaac underwent surgery Sunday afternoon, and his family told us he has a long road to recovery.
The Department of Natural Resources is investigating the fire.
A GoFundMe account was created to help the family with medical costs.
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