Susan Gubitosi said she was in the facility’s activity room last Tuesday when the blast occurred.
Woman injured in Bristol rehab blast faces long road to recovery
Susan Gubitosi said she was in the facility’s activity room last Tuesday when the blast occurred.
“I heard a loud blast and suddenly, within seconds, suddenly, the wall caved in on me,” Gubitosi said.
READ MORE | Nursing home explosion in Bucks County leaves 1 resident, 1 employee dead
She is now being treated at Saint Mary Medical Center in Langhorne. Gubitosi described the impact of the collapse as overwhelming.
“It feels like an elephant stepped on the center of my chest, between my breasts, right through the back,” she said.
Authorities said two people died in the explosion: a resident and 52-year-old staff member Muthoni Nduthu.
Gubitosi’s attorney, Jordan Strokovsky, said he is reviewing her claim that another resident reported leaving his room after detecting a gas odor.
“That was hours before the explosion. For the life of me, and for the public, and everyone else, it’s hard to understand how the place was not evacuated in time,” Strokovsky said.
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PECO crews were on the scene before the blast after receiving reports of a gas odor inside the building, but officials have not confirmed the cause.
Gubitosi suffered fractures to her sternum, ribs, neck, back and left arm, along with numerous lacerations and bruises.
“I can barely breathe. It’s hard to take a deep breath because it hurts so bad. If you ever had broken ribs, double that,” she said.
The investigation into the explosion is ongoing.
