13-Year-Old Boy Nearly Killed By Falling Chimney In Napa Quake Returns Home From Hospital
NAPA (KPIX 5) -- More than two weeks after nearly being killed in the Napa quake, 13-year-old Nicholas Dillon has returned home from the hospital.
"It wasn't like you know when you get hit with something and you feel it…all of a sudden there was this boom, and there was this pain in my back," Nicholas recalled.
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Seventeen days after the quake struck, Nicholas returned home, and spoke to KPIX 5 next to the fireplace that fell on him during the quake.
"Maybe not even two months ago, we finished remodeling it, this whole thing," Dillon said.
While the family waits to have their home fully inspected, Nicholas is now seeing a physical therapist, and starting his recovery.
"I have a broken pelvis in multiple places. I think I fractured it in four different places, two on my left, and two on my right. I went through a ten hour surgery. The original estimate was five months before I could put any weight on my legs, but they brought that down to two months," Nicholas said.
Despite all of that, he said, "I do feel lucky. I feel really lucky."
From the morning of the quake, until Wednesday, his story has made headlines. But this high school freshman is far more concerned about the rest of his community.
"Personally, I don't think I'm that big a deal. I don't know why people are making it such a big deal. It was just an accident, it could have happened to anybody else. I think they should really worry about the community of Napa itself," Nicholas said. "Have you seen downtown? That's horrible. There are other people without a home, without water, without electricity. You guys should be worrying about them, not me. I'm fine, I'll get better eventually."
The school district wants Nicholas to take two full months to focus on his recovery, but he says that's way too long. He's hoping to get back to class in the next several weeks.