By Evan Lips
Lowell Sun
PELHAM, N.H. — Ben Bertini’s first word after spending about a week in a medically-induced coma was “Mommy.”
The first people the 2-year-old Pelham boy saw when he opened his eyes Tuesday were his mom and dad, according to his great-grandfather Ed Gleason.
The toddler from Derry awoke in Boston at Shriners Hospital, miles away from his grandparents’ Dodge Road home where a July 3 neighborhood celebration instantly turned into a nightmare after a cache of fireworks exploded on the back deck, seriously burning the boy and sending pieces of explosive material into one of his arms.
He was one of five children injured in the blast, which Fire Chief Jim Midgley said is still being investigated. On Tuesday he said that reports the explosion was triggered by a child dropping a lit sparkler onto a stack of fireworks, as had been reported in the Boston Globe, were false.
Another eight adults were also injured, with two still in the hospital.
Midgley said investigators will be releasing final details on what led to the accident within the next few days. A police spokesman said no charges have been filed thus far.
As for Ben, Gleason said his burns are severe enough that doctors are keeping him at Shriners for at least another month.
Gleason said Ben is still wrapped “head to foot” and is experiencing significant discomfort as doctors begin the process of “taking him off some medication.”
“He’s now speaking to his mother again and it makes her happy that she can hold him occasionally,” said Gleason. “They have been by his side constantly and you can imagine how much they’ve been longing for something like that.”
Ben and his parents, Jessica and Rob Bertini, were at his grandfather Chris Pappathan’s home at the time of the accident. A family member said the blast was strong enough to throw Jessica off the back deck and into the yard.
Pappathan, 58, was one of eight adults injured in the blast. The back of his legs sustained serious injuries, according to Gleason, who added that Pappathan is still in the hospital recovering from skin-graft surgery.
Also still in the hospital Wednesday morning was Greenfield, N.H., resident Marci Foy, 31. Foy’s eight-month-old daughter Olivia also suffered some burns, but her injuries are not as serious.
Gleason, a Pelham selectman, is Ben’s step-great-grandfather by marriage. He’s also the great-grandfather of 18-month-old Tyler Brunelle, another child at the party who suffered burns to an arm and leg. He was discharged from the hospital the next day.
“His bandages keep needing to be changed while he’s at home but he’s on the road to recovery,” Gleason said about Tyler.
On Friday, police released the names of the injured adults, which included Paul Pappathan, 58, of Everett; Patrick Foy, 42, of Greenfield, N.H.; Gary Brunelle, 45, of Londonderry, N.H.; Daniel Haight, 50, of Pelham, N.H.; and Jesse Jones, 39, of Islip, N.Y.
Selectmen Chairman William McDevitt said last week the town could join neighboring Salem and Windham in banning consumer fireworks, depending on whether a proposal comes to Town Meeting and if the public supports it.
Follow Evan Lips atTwitter.com/evanmlips
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