Fire Victim to Undergo Hand Surgery Today
One of the victims of the Val Verde blaze that claimed the lives of two brothers remained in critical condition Wednesday, breathing with the help of a ventilator.
Patricia Lynn Martin, 20, lived at the home and was the former girlfriend of Sean Williams, 17, who died Saturday of burns suffered in the Dec. 31 fire.
Williams’ half-brother, Patrick Crawford, 7, died Sunday from his injuries. Martin, burned over 18% of her body, is scheduled to undergo surgery on her hands this morning, said Adelaide De La Cerda, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center.
Doctors will determine if they need to amputate Martin’s fingers, severely burned when she tried to put out flames that engulfed Patrick, said Bobbi Jundes, a friend of the Martin family.
“Her doctors don’t know whether any of her fingers will be saved,” she said.
Martin jumped from the second story of the burning home, along with the brothers and Dawn Carter, 45, the boys’ aunt, who suffered a fractured ankle and broken heels.
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