A Scots teenager has been left with burns on his face and hands after an aerosol can exploded in a freak accident in West Dunbartonshire.
Aiden McGee had been walking along the canal in Linnvale, towards Clydebank, to play football with friends on Monday June 19 when they noticed a fire nearby. The group went over to inspect the small blaze but after just a few seconds an aerosol can exploded which "blew him backwards".
It caused severe burns across the 14-year-old's hands and the left side of his face with his skin peeling, face blistered, eyebrows burnt off, and hair singed. The youngster's dad, Will, was stunned to receive the call about what had happened and fears he "could have lost our son".
Will told our sister site Glasgow Live: "We could have lost our son. It has changed me completely. I've always been protective of my kids and now I'm going to have to be more protective, it really was horrible.
"When my partner told me what happened I had a panic attack, I didn't know what to do. I felt as if the world was collapsing, I couldn't believe what was happening to my son.
"It's hard to explain how I felt. All I could think about was whether his eyes were injured or if he lost any fingers.
"When he came home and I saw him I burst out greeting. His eyebrows were burnt off, his face was blistered, his eyelids were burnt, his hair was singed and his nose was burnt.
"But it could have been worse, we are very lucky."
Despite what had just happened to him, Aiden was quick to react. Will recalled: "He told me that an explosion came out of a can and it blew him backwards. It had burnt all his face and his hands.
"He had a bottle of Coke on him, he didn't know what to do, so he poured it all over himself to cool down.
"He ran to one of his classmate's granny's house and chapped on her door and she threw him in a cold shower. We were then notified and my partner came back and said she needed to go get Aiden.
"An ambulance came and got him. They put him on morphine and took him to hospital, where he was kept for a good few hours."
Since being rushed to hospital, Aidan has had to return every two days for creams to help the physical wounds heal on his journey to recover. However Will has been left worrying about nightmares his son has been having, and the ongoing mental impact from a number of health issues this year already.
Aiden nearly fell into a diabetic coma a few months ago, due to his Type 1 diabetes, and also injured himself while riding a scooter just days before the can explosion.
Will said: "We've had to apply cream at home to his hands, face, eyes and nose. Nurses have also been in peeling the dead skin off to allow it to heal.
"The burns on the hands look like they will be scarred but we've been told they should heal. The one on his face looks like a birthmark.
"He has been suffering from bad nightmares and has told me he never wants to go camping or near any fire again. He is not allowed out because it could cause infection.
"He has been having wee panic attacks and isn't even wanting to go to the front door.
"He will need to keep putting cream on for the next two years and wear a hat. Aiden is gutted that he won't be able to go out and enjoy the summer holidays with his pals."
The dad has also set up a fundraiser for a holiday his son can look forward to once he feels better. You can find it by heading to GoFundMe.
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