A Rutland girl and her mother were seriously injured in a tour boat explosion in the Bahamas on Saturday.
Stacey Schaffer and her daughter Stefanie were among 10 American tourists and two Bahamians who were on the boat when the explosion occurred.
According to news accounts, Stefanie Schaffer sustained life-threatening injuries and had to have both legs amputated. She is reportedly in a medically induced coma in a hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, where her mother is also being treated for broken bones and other injuries.
Two other family members, Stefanie’s sister Brooke and stepfather, Paul Bender, were also on the boat. They sustained less serious injuries.
A GoFundMe page that has been created to help the family with medical and travel expenses. The page raised more than $60,000 in one day.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known.
Update 7/3/2018 4:09 p.m. According to the GoFundMe page set up to help the family with expenses, Stefanie Schaffer and her mother Stacey were taken to a Florida hospital. The GoFundMe site has raised more than $100,000 for medical and other expenses, with a goal of $200,000.
