cambridge man recounts surviving mexican hotel explosioncambridge man recounts surviving mexican hotel explosioncambridge man recounts surviving mexican hotel explosion

CAMBRIDGE —
When Larry Smith came to the hotel, he was lying in a crater in the lobby floor of the hotel.
His friend, Elgin Barron, groaned on a pile of ruins nearby. Dying.
On November, the platinum suite building at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Mexico exploded.
Two Mexicans, including Baron, and five Canadians, were killed.
Only Smith survived among the people standing in the hall.
\"I believe we have our guardian angels,\" he said on Sunday . \".
Two weeks after the explosion, Smith sat on the sofa at his home in Cambridge and his wife, Linda, sat next to him with a brace on his chest and a back injury.
Their living room is already very cozy for the holiday.
Both the Smiths are 50 years old and are employees of space hardware manufacturer Com Dev International.
Larry is a Senior PCB designer and Linda is a payroll administrator.
Barron, a Guelph resident, also works there as supply manager.
The couple held an open day for their colleagues on Saturday.
For them, it was an opportunity for them to see how well Larry recovered after a Mexican operation, to fix the four discs on his lower back, which were either broken or compressed together.
The Smiths have the opportunity to thank everyone for their care and care.
This is also an opportunity for the Com Dev family to mourn their own losses.
Larry Smith said: \"If it weren\'t for Elkin and his banana ideas . . . . . . He put me in a safe place . \".
Linda sat on the terrace of the room on Sunday morning and Larry went to the platinum suite lobby for coffee.
On the way, he met Baron, who lived in the hall.
The Smith family traveled with the Barron family and did not arrive in Mexico until Friday.
With coffee in their hands, Barron was about to leave the hall when he found some fresh bananas.
Barron picked up one and moved a few feet away from Smith.
Smith also caught a banana.
Then, without any warning, the floor went up to the ceiling and crashed.
Linda heard a loud explosion from the room.
\"I\'m really a little scared to go around the corner and see it,\" she said . \".
But she glanced around the corner at the lobby. It was gone.
\"I know Larry\'s in there.
\"I don\'t know if Elkin is with him,\" Linda said . \".
About 15 minutes later, the two men grabbed Larry\'s arm and lifted him up from the waist. deep hole.
Rescuers have tied Barron to a wooden board and transferred him to a safe location at the resort.
When emergency crews gathered at the Caribbean resort, Larry Smith heard that they were working on people nearby.
It was not until later that he discovered Barron.
Linda revealed to her husband at the hospital that their friend was gone.
\"I don\'t think it\'s completely hit yet,\" Linda said . \".
\"In the evening, it went through my head all the time.
I was thinking about it all the time.
\"The day after the explosion, Julie Smith, the youngest of the three children, went to Mexico with her parents.
Other friends and family also flew down.
A week later, Linda and Larry flew back to Canada.
In today\'s appointment, the doctor will remove the staple food from Larry\'s surgery.
It will take about three months for the damaged ligaments and muscles to regenerate.
Some of the wounds and bruises he suffered have healed.
But no internal damage, no major organ damage, no hearing loss.
The doctor believes he will recover completely.
\"It\'s too early to really start to master the Second Life lease.
\"I have to thank God for getting up every day,\" Larry said . \".
The son of the Pentecost priest said: \"I think it has changed me a little . \". “(Linda and I)
Don\'t go to church often.
I don\'t know if this will change.
Linda is expected to come back to work today, in part becausetime basis.
By the time Larry was able to go back, he had decided to do something different.
\"I want to have a positive impact on our working environment and make a bigger contribution,\" he said . \".
\"It does bring a different perspective to your priorities.
At least six people were injured in the explosion.
As part of the annual customer appreciation tour hosted by Rogers kidina broadcasting group, about 60 Waterloo area residents are also at the resort.
No one was injured in that group.
The resort was closed last week as Mexican officials continued their investigation into the blast.
The initial guess was that the accumulation of marsh gas triggered an explosion, which provided evidence for the possible combination of methane and liquefied petroleum gas.
At the same time, investigators said a homicide charge could be filed if negligence was found.
But the Smiths are not looking for someone to blame.
\"I know the accident will happen.
\"We just got to the wrong place at the wrong time,\" Larry said . \".
He said he was not interested in being involved in civil or criminal cases that could be heard by Mexican courts.
\"We want to move on,\" said Larry . \".
\"The only way to move on is to be positive.
Bdavis @ therecord. comCAMBRIDGE —
When Larry Smith came to the hotel, he was lying in a crater in the lobby floor of the hotel.
His friend, Elgin Barron, groaned on a pile of ruins nearby. Dying.
On November, the platinum suite building at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Mexico exploded.
Two Mexicans, including Baron, and five Canadians, were killed.
Only Smith survived among the people standing in the hall.
\"I believe we have our guardian angels,\" he said on Sunday . \".
Two weeks after the explosion, Smith sat on the sofa at his home in Cambridge and his wife, Linda, sat next to him with a brace on his chest and a back injury.
Their living room is already very cozy for the holiday.
Both the Smiths are 50 years old and are employees of space hardware manufacturer Com Dev International.
Larry is a Senior PCB designer and Linda is a payroll administrator.
Barron, a Guelph resident, also works there as supply manager.
The couple held an open day for their colleagues on Saturday.
For them, it was an opportunity for them to see how well Larry recovered after a Mexican operation, to fix the four discs on his lower back, which were either broken or compressed together.
The Smiths have the opportunity to thank everyone for their care and care.
This is also an opportunity for the Com Dev family to mourn their own losses.
Larry Smith said: \"If it weren\'t for Elkin and his banana ideas . . . . . . He put me in a safe place . \".
Linda sat on the terrace of the room on Sunday morning and Larry went to the platinum suite lobby for coffee.
On the way, he met Baron, who lived in the hall.
The Smith family traveled with the Barron family and did not arrive in Mexico until Friday.
With coffee in their hands, Barron was about to leave the hall when he found some fresh bananas.
Barron picked up one and moved a few feet away from Smith.
Smith also caught a banana.
Then, without any warning, the floor went up to the ceiling and crashed.
Linda heard a loud explosion from the room.
\"I\'m really a little scared to go around the corner and see it,\" she said . \".
But she glanced around the corner at the lobby. It was gone.
\"I know Larry\'s in there.
\"I don\'t know if Elkin is with him,\" Linda said . \".
About 15 minutes later, the two men grabbed Larry\'s arm and lifted him up from the waist. deep hole.
Rescuers have tied Barron to a wooden board and transferred him to a safe location at the resort.
When emergency crews gathered at the Caribbean resort, Larry Smith heard that they were working on people nearby.
It was not until later that he discovered Barron.
Linda revealed to her husband at the hospital that their friend was gone.
\"I don\'t think it\'s completely hit yet,\" Linda said . \".
\"In the evening, it went through my head all the time.
I was thinking about it all the time.
\"The day after the explosion, Julie Smith, the youngest of the three children, went to Mexico with her parents.
Other friends and family also flew down.
A week later, Linda and Larry flew back to Canada.
In today\'s appointment, the doctor will remove the staple food from Larry\'s surgery.
It will take about three months for the damaged ligaments and muscles to regenerate.
Some of the wounds and bruises he suffered have healed.
But no internal damage, no major organ damage, no hearing loss.
The doctor believes he will recover completely.
\"It\'s too early to really start to master the Second Life lease.
\"I have to thank God for getting up every day,\" Larry said . \".
The son of the Pentecost priest said: \"I think it has changed me a little . \". “(Linda and I)
Don\'t go to church often.
I don\'t know if this will change.
Linda is expected to come back to work today, in part becausetime basis.
By the time Larry was able to go back, he had decided to do something different.
\"I want to have a positive impact on our working environment and make a bigger contribution,\" he said . \".
\"It does bring a different perspective to your priorities.
At least six people were injured in the explosion.
As part of the annual customer appreciation tour hosted by Rogers kidina broadcasting group, about 60 Waterloo area residents are also at the resort.
No one was injured in that group.
The resort was closed last week as Mexican officials continued their investigation into the blast.
The initial guess was that the accumulation of marsh gas triggered an explosion, which provided evidence for the possible combination of methane and liquefied petroleum gas.
At the same time, investigators said a homicide charge could be filed if negligence was found.
But the Smiths are not looking for someone to blame.
\"I know the accident will happen.
\"We just got to the wrong place at the wrong time,\" Larry said . \".
He said he was not interested in being involved in civil or criminal cases that could be heard by Mexican courts.
\"We want to move on,\" said Larry . \".
\"The only way to move on is to be positive.
Bdavis @ therecord. comCAMBRIDGE —
When Larry Smith came to the hotel, he was lying in a crater in the lobby floor of the hotel.
His friend, Elgin Barron, groaned on a pile of ruins nearby. Dying.
On November, the platinum suite building at the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Mexico exploded.
Two Mexicans, including Baron, and five Canadians, were killed.
Only Smith survived among the people standing in the hall.
\"I believe we have our guardian angels,\" he said on Sunday . \".
Two weeks after the explosion, Smith sat on the sofa at his home in Cambridge and his wife, Linda, sat next to him with a brace on his chest and a back injury.
Their living room is already very cozy for the holiday.
Both the Smiths are 50 years old and are employees of space hardware manufacturer Com Dev International.
Larry is a Senior PCB designer and Linda is a payroll administrator.
Barron, a Guelph resident, also works there as supply manager.
The couple held an open day for their colleagues on Saturday.
For them, it was an opportunity for them to see how well Larry recovered after a Mexican operation, to fix the four discs on his lower back, which were either broken or compressed together.
The Smiths have the opportunity to thank everyone for their care and care.
This is also an opportunity for the Com Dev family to mourn their own losses.
Larry Smith said: \"If it weren\'t for Elkin and his banana ideas . . . . . . He put me in a safe place . \".
Linda sat on the terrace of the room on Sunday morning and Larry went to the platinum suite lobby for coffee.
On the way, he met Baron, who lived in the hall.
The Smith family traveled with the Barron family and did not arrive in Mexico until Friday.
With coffee in their hands, Barron was about to leave the hall when he found some fresh bananas.
Barron picked up one and moved a few feet away from Smith.
Smith also caught a banana.
Then, without any warning, the floor went up to the ceiling and crashed.
Linda heard a loud explosion from the room.
\"I\'m really a little scared to go around the corner and see it,\" she said . \".
But she glanced around the corner at the lobby. It was gone.
\"I know Larry\'s in there.
\"I don\'t know if Elkin is with him,\" Linda said . \".
About 15 minutes later, the two men grabbed Larry\'s arm and lifted him up from the waist. deep hole.
Rescuers have tied Barron to a wooden board and transferred him to a safe location at the resort.
When emergency crews gathered at the Caribbean resort, Larry Smith heard that they were working on people nearby.
It was not until later that he discovered Barron.
Linda revealed to her husband at the hospital that their friend was gone.
\"I don\'t think it\'s completely hit yet,\" Linda said . \".
\"In the evening, it went through my head all the time.
I was thinking about it all the time.
\"The day after the explosion, Julie Smith, the youngest of the three children, went to Mexico with her parents.
Other friends and family also flew down.
A week later, Linda and Larry flew back to Canada.
In today\'s appointment, the doctor will remove the staple food from Larry\'s surgery.
It will take about three months for the damaged ligaments and muscles to regenerate.
Some of the wounds and bruises he suffered have healed.
But no internal damage, no major organ damage, no hearing loss.
The doctor believes he will recover completely.
\"It\'s too early to really start to master the Second Life lease.
\"I have to thank God for getting up every day,\" Larry said . \".
The son of the Pentecost priest said: \"I think it has changed me a little . \". “(Linda and I)
Don\'t go to church often.
I don\'t know if this will change.
Linda is expected to come back to work today, in part becausetime basis.
By the time Larry was able to go back, he had decided to do something different.
\"I want to have a positive impact on our working environment and make a bigger contribution,\" he said . \".
\"It does bring a different perspective to your priorities.
At least six people were injured in the explosion.
As part of the annual customer appreciation tour hosted by Rogers kidina broadcasting group, about 60 Waterloo area residents are also at the resort.
No one was injured in that group.
The resort was closed last week as Mexican officials continued their investigation into the blast.
The initial guess was that the accumulation of marsh gas triggered an explosion, which provided evidence for the possible combination of methane and liquefied petroleum gas.
At the same time, investigators said a homicide charge could be filed if negligence was found.
But the Smiths are not looking for someone to blame.
\"I know the accident will happen.
\"We just got to the wrong place at the wrong time,\" Larry said . \".
He said he was not interested in being involved in civil or criminal cases that could be heard by Mexican courts.
\"We want to move on,\" said Larry . \".
\"The only way to move on is to be positive.
Bdavis @ therecord.