Injured Hawaiian says chunk of lava came flying at him 'like a golf ball'
'The leg had been pretty much severed in half above the ankle,' Darryl Clinton says from his hospital bed
"You know, freaky things happen every day," says a man whose foot was nearly blown off by a flying lava bomb on Hawaii's Big Island last week.
Darryl Clinton spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off from the Hilo Medical Center, where he is recovering after being struck in the lower leg by a lump of volcanic molten rock while trying to protect people's homes in Kapoho.
Asked how he's doing, Clinton said: "I was kind of set on fire and drug down about five sets of stairs by my friend … so I got some wounds I'm dealing with. But other than that, I'm great."
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Clinton is the only person reported injured on the island since the Kilauea volcano started spewing lava on May 3.
The volcano has opened more than 20 vents in the ground that have released lava, sulphur dioxide and steam. The eruption has destroyed 50 buildings, including about two dozen homes.
Clinton said he was on the third-floor deck of a neighbour's home talking to a friend on his cellphone when he was struck.
The lava bombs had been falling onto the roofs in the area and sparking fires. Clinton and several others were hopping from house to house dousing the flames and keeping watch on the neighbourhood.
"It came flying at me, much like if you hit a golf ball," he said. "I was on the phone and I looked down and it was already on top of me. I had no time to move."
'Really creepy and painful'
Fortunately for Clinton, he was not alone.
He said his friend grabbed him by the good leg and dragged him down the stairs while he clasped his wound, trying to keep it together.
She drove him to the hospital while communicating with 911 dispatchers, he said.
In that moment, Clinton said, he thought for sure he was going to lose his foot.
"I was laying on my back in the passenger seat and holding my leg up in the air so I could keep my foot kind of somewhat attached to my leg, and it was just kind of wobbling around," he said.
"It was really creepy and painful. Just a really bizarre thing."
Fundraising for medical costs
When he arrived at hospital, he said doctors were able to clean the molten lava that was embedded in the wound.
His injured leg is now being held in place by a titanium rod from his knee to foot.
"The leg had been pretty much severed in half above the ankle," he said. "I don't know how they put it back together, but they did."
Clinton said he's feeling much better, though he's still going to need several surgeries.
His friends have set up a GoFundMe called "Noni Farms Road Man" to help him cover the medical costs. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised $3,375 US.
"I just need to heal up and get out of here and get moving again," Clinton said.
Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from The Associated Press. Interview with Darryl Clinton produced by Jeanne Armstrong.