Teen seriously injured in boat explosion on Lake Lanier takes first steps since accident

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A 16-year-old girl who was badly burned in a boat explosion on Lake Lanier took her first steps this week since the accident.

Taylor Coleman and her family were on a boat near the Margaritaville Resort on May 9 when the boat ignited during a pit stop for gas.

Taylor and her brother, 13-year-old Gunner, were hospitalized with serious burns. Their youngest brother and their parents also sustained minor injuries.

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Gunner was released from the hospital at the end of May to continue his recovery at home.

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Taylor, who was the most seriously injured, is still in the hospital. She suffered extensive burns to her legs, arms, feet and stomach, and had several surgeries.

Taylor was just taken off a ventilator earlier this month and has since hit another major milestone: her first steps since the horrific accident.

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Her mother, Annie Coleman, said on a Facebook page set up to provide updates, that Taylor walked three feet on Friday, and then 120 feet on Monday.

“Her little feet are still healing and very raw, but she’s managing the pain well,” Annie Coleman said. “They will need to heal up a bit before she can go home. Steve and I can’t get over her strength. Just like her brother, she amazes us every day.”

Annie Coleman said the family is looking forward when they can all be home together again, which could be as early as the end of the week.

“She continues to push through her daily goals plus some,” Annie Coleman wrote Wednesday. “The doctors and nurses are amazed by her strength, attitude, and desire. Our kids are rockstars!!!”

A family friend said Taylor still has a long road to recovery ahead. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.

6 injured, including 2 teenagers, when boat explodes at Lake Lanier Six people have been injured, three of them seriously, when a boat exploded on Lake Lanier.

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