Prince George explosion victim released from ICU
Posted August 28, 2023 12:39 pm.
Last Updated August 28, 2023 3:34 pm.
The woman who was seriously hurt in an explosion in Prince George last week has been moved out of Vancouver General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
According to a Facebook post, Victoria Mcgivern is now in the burn unit at VGH.
The post, shared in the Victoria Mcgivern Support Page, says the woman is now allowed to eat and drink, and that her “medical team is optimistic that she’ll be able to come home very soon.”
Afton Frost, Mcgivern’s close friend, said it has been a difficult recovery for Mcgivern, but things are improving.
“The first day that she kind of woke up was pretty rough,” Frost told CityNews. “She didn’t have any memory of what had gone down that day. She just had no recollection. And then, as the next couple of days progressed, her memory started coming back and her mannerisms and her spirit just kind of came back.”
Frost said it isn’t looking like Mcgivern is going to need any major surgery.
“She may need a small surgery on her hand, because she shot her hands up trying to shield herself from the blast,” Frost said. “There’s nothing life threatening or anything, thank goodness, at this point.”
As of Monday morning, a GoFundMe page set up to help Mcgivern and her three young children had raised more than $85,000. Organizers said they were closing the page, adding it had “far exceeded our expectations.”
According to the GoFundMe, the mother of three children — aged nine, seven, and five — was airlifted to VGH with severe and critical injuries after the Aug. 22 blast.
Related article: Prince George explosion leaves at least 3 people hurt, RCMP says
“Her long term partner, Ryan, will be taking periods of time off work to travel back and forth the long distances between Prince George and Vancouver to be by her side. This is a 1660km round trip each time,” the campaign explains.
“The cost of raising a young family is hard enough to begin with. This tragedy will greatly impact the family’s ability to earn income.”
In addition to helping cover expenses related to travel, accommodation, and childcare, organizers of the fundraiser say the money will also go toward “future therapies required for recovery, both physical and psychological.”
“Our hope is that we can provide some support so that the family is able to focus more on recovery and less on the financial burden,” the GoFundMe continues.
Organizers say on Facebook that they initially aimed to raise $10,000 for the family.
“We have reached our goal and beyond,” they add.
The explosion in Prince George left at least three people physically hurt. It happened in the area near the Wood Innovation Building, at a one-storey “old restaurant” around 7 a.m., the mayor previously said.
Simon Yu noted the building had been vacant for “some time.”
The cause of the explosion remains unclear at this time.
Footage from the scene showed plumes of black and grey smoke flowing into the sky, with burning rubble on the ground near the building.
-With files from Charlie Carey and Greg Bowman
