By By Lisa Tindell
Tori Wyatt will be home for Christmas.
That simple statement has one East Brewton family counting their blessings this holiday season.
Tori, along with her father Joey, was injured in an explosion Friday afternoon that sent the pair to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by LifeFlight. Tori was then transferred to UAB Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Wyatt was discharged from Sacred Heart in order to accompany his daughter to the Birmingham facility.
"Everything is looking really good," said Pam Wyatt, mother and wife of the victims. "The doctors say she is healing really good and that she will be definitely being going home before Christmas."
Joey Wyatt is also recovering from the incident and has begun a treatment of antibiotics and creams to treat his burns and to ward off any infections that are common with burn victims.
The two members of the Wyatt family were injured at a scrap yard on County Rd. 19 in the McClellan community of Friday. Early reports indicated that Wyatt was among workers welding on a tank at the time incident.
However, reports from Wyatt, as well as other family members, have proven that to be a statement made in error.
"I was not aware that any welding was taking place at the yard," Wyatt said. "If I had known that, I would not have been there myself. I would never put my child in that kind of dangerous situation."
Sources say that Wyatt was a customer at the yard when the incident occurred. An unidentified male was welding, out of view from others at the yard, when the explosion of the tank occurred.
Roberts Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the flames. Baptist Hospital's LifeFlight arrived on the scene and transported the victims to Pensacola hospitals for treatment.
Wyatt suffered first-degree burns over a portion of his body while Tori's burns were classified as second degree.