A Garner man is in the UNC Burn Center recovering from burns to more than a third of his body.
Connor Gecewicz spoke from his hospital bed about the harrowing moments as his boat set fire during a Memorial Day weekend fishing trip at Topsail Beach.
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“I’m happy to be alive, honestly,” Gecewicz said.
Gecewicz says he and his three friends were leaving the inlet toward the ocean when he noticed during a safety check that the bilge pump on his 23’ boat stopped working. When he looked in the cubby where the bilge pump is stored, which happens also to be near the engine and gas can, a spark ignited what he called a “tornado” of flames.
"All I remember is the fire hitting me in my face, and I just immediately dived straight off the boat,” said Gecewicz. “I didn't think about it, I didn't say a word, I didn't make a sound. It was just my immediate instinct to just jump into the water."
Gecewicz credits his boatmates for their quick actions after he jumped off the boat. He says they immediately turned off the ignition and used the fire extinguisher on board to put out the fire, preventing the boat from exploding.
A passing boater picked the men up and brought them to a nearby arena, where Gecewicz says he was taken by ambulance to the Camp LeJeune Trauma Center before ultimately getting taken to the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
After enduring excruciating body scrubs and surgeries, Gecewicz hopes to be released from the hospital within the next 10 days.
His family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the hospital and recovery expenses.
While he recovers, Gecewicz is focusing on his gratitude and daily progress. He hopes people will learn through his positivity and hopefulness.
“There’s a lot of things in our life that are out of our control. That we cant control. But there’s always one thing that you can stay in control of. That is your attitude and how you react to things. You can always have a good attitude. You can always react well to things,” Gecewicz said.