Bridger undergoes a complex surgery

LEHI — It looks like somebody took dozens of burning cigarettes butts to Craig Miller's face. There are blisters on his arms and right knee, and he might have lost some hearing.

But to Miller, those injuries don't matter. All attention is focused on 11-year-old Bridger Hunt, who was critically injured in the blast.

The little boy was in surgery again Monday, a surgery that began at 2:30 p.m. and was expected to stretch well into this morning.

Bridger's grandmother, Dyanne Richan-Casper, said the complex surgery was going well late Monday night. Doctors inserted four plates and several screws to repair Bridger's hip. They had to remove considerable muscle and tissue that was infected or had died, she said.

Doctors were then expected to take a working nerve from the back of Bridger's leg and wind it around to the front, where the nerves were destroyed. Finally, plastic surgeons were supposed to start filling the cavity carved by the bomb in his muscle and soft tissue.

Hospital spokeswoman Bonnie Midget said the family is hopeful that doctors will save Bridger's leg.

"Right now, nobody's even really thinking about Craig's injuries," said Miller's close friend and neighbor Leslie Topham. "Craig doesn't even think about Craig's injuries."

If anyone asks the 45-year-old father of three how he's doing, he tells them to just "keep praying for Bridger," Topham said.

That's what Miller's been doing since Thursday, when his homemade fireworks exploded, burning him and sending metal shards slicing through Bridger, who had been riding his bike in the Lehi neighborhood.

"I will accept my responsibilities," Miller told the Deseret News Monday. "It will never be enough. But I can never live with myself if I do not do all in my power (to help Bridger)."

After the explosion, Bridger was rushed by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Medical Center where he's been through nearly six surgeries, including the crucial one that began late Monday morning to determine the fate of his nearly severed left leg.

The firework blasted metal 30 feet toward Bridger and cut several arteries in his leg, broke bones and sliced through tissue, placing the young boy in grave danger of bleeding to death. Quick-thinking bystanders who applied pressure helped save the boy's life.

A piece of metal also slashed a nearby car tire, said Lehi Police Sgt. Sean Ferrell.