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The family of the tow truck driver who was right on top of the steam pipe that exploded in Midtown spoke about 21-year-old Gregory McCullough's progress. His mother, Tanya McCullough-Stewart, told the NY Times he had opened his eyes for the first time last week, "They can’t tell us if he’ll be O.K. because his injuries are too severe. He is still in a coma but the nurses said he can hear us. So I sing to him and I know he’s listening. I know he can hear me.”
McCullough, who also attended classes at John Jay College and studied karate when not working, suffered burns over 80% of his body, and doctors put him into a medically induced coma. It's estimated that the heat of the steam from the 83-year-old pipe was at least 400 degrees. One person who helped him, Junior Suarez, said that he hasn't been the same since July 18: “I ran up to him and grabbed him. “He fell into my arms, and his skin was falling off. He was just screaming, and I felt the heat from his body. I’ve never seen someone in that much pain.” Suarez managed to get a phone number from McCullough and called a cousin.
McCullough-Stewart said that watching doctors perform procedures has been unbearable, because "it’s so hard to see him in pain and not be able to take it away.” The family says that reporters and strangers have essentially stalked them, at their home, on the roads, and at New York Hospital, necessitating their church to donate its security staff to guard their home and McCullough's hospital room.
As for McCullough's prognosis, "Doctors told the family that they needed to observe how well he was healing before deciding on long-term treatment, but because he was young and in such good physical shape, his body was responding well, his family said." Treatment could cost more than $1 million. And today, the family will announce a lawsuit against Con Ed.
Photograph of the red tow truck by sidewalk_story on Flickr
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His family is suing because he was burned over 80% of his body, his medical bills will top $1 million, and he's enduring excruciating medical treatments to live? They need to get in line behind that woman who filed her suit last week. That steam scared her something awful. She's traumatized!
I sincerely hope this guy's family finds a way to pay for his medical bills (Con-Ed could save a ton of face by volunteering to pay form them). It's an unfortunate truth that in most cases, in the middle of a horrible accident is some unfortunate person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sounds like this was a case of exactly that. What a terrible thing to have to go through, for all of them (most particularly McCullough).
It's time to indict Con Edison in front of a Federal Grand Jury.
Criminal negligence
Negligence consists of conduct by which is not reasonable -- that is, the individual did not act with the care and caution of a reasonable person in similar circumstances. This "reasonable person" is fictitious, of course, but reflects the standard of conduct which society wishes to impose. Violation of this standard may lead to civil liability for the consequences of the negligent behavior. Negligence rises to the level of criminal negligence where the conduct reaches a higher degree of carelessness or inattention, perhaps to the point of indifference.
Recklessness
Recklessness or willful blindness is defined as a wanton disregard for the known dangers of a particular situation. An example of this would be a defendant throwing a brick off a bridge into vehicular traffic below. There exists no intent to kill, consequently a resulting death may not be considered murder. However, the conduct is probably reckless, sometimes used interchangeably with criminally negligent, which may subject the principal to prosecution for involuntary manslaughter: the individual was aware of the risk of injury to others and willfuly disregarded it.
I hope they take CON-ED for every penny they can. The fact that CON-ED has not come fourth and offered to do everything in its power to see their victim back to health is a disgrace.
This kid and his family deserve every penny they get from Con Ed. Just hope he makes it through.
"McCullough-Stewart said that watching doctors perform procedures were unbearable,"
seriously, i've been reading gothamist for like a year now and you should be ashamed at the fact that you make all sorts of grammer, spelling, typo, etc... mistakes every god damned day!!!
do you have any self-respect?
Ahh man, I hope this kid gets better, or as better as he can. He sounds like a good kid that was just trying to make his way in the world.
Its always the good ones that get screwed.
>:(
-Ph
My heart goes out to his family. I can't imagine the stress of this sort of trauma. Con-Ed should absolutely step up to the plate and help this hometown boy. If they don't, their reputation as miserly leeches will be cemented. How else can we remind them that their purpose is to serve the city (even if it is a Bloomberg-supported monopoly)?
Has Bloomberg visited him yet? What does Bloomberg say about this? Where is Bloomberg?
ConEd should pay for his entire medical bills INCLUDING physical therapy.
Get well Gregory McCullough
The actions of ConEd are nothing less than criminal. Steam had been coming out of that pipe for days. People in the neighborhood reported that at times the steam was so dense that it even blocked the view of cars going down the street.
Get well, Gregory McCullough!
"The family says that reporters and strangers have essentially stalked them, at their home, on the roads, and at New York Hospital, necessitating their church to donate its security staff to guard their home and McCullough's hospital room."
WTF?