11-year-old boy expected to fully recover from burns after a spray can exploded

Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
·3 min read

LANCASTER − An 11-year-old city boy severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can is expected to make a complete recovery.

Connor Snoke and a friend were spray painting some items in the yard and tried to make a flame thrower with a spray can, Connor's mother, Angel Snoke said. The can exploded when the flame from a lighter touched it.

City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery.
City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery.

"It didn't shoot flames, unfortunately," she said. "The bottom blew out of it, it combusted and it caught his shirt on fire. He jumped in front of his best friend and knocked him on the ground, then realized the shirt was on fire."

Connor then started rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames.

"He pulled his shirt off, ran in, and got in the shower," Angel Snoke said. "He pulled his shorts down. Then his sister called me at work and I called the squad on the way home."

City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery. Connor wanted the Eagle-Gazette to publish this photo as a warning to other children.
City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery. Connor wanted the Eagle-Gazette to publish this photo as a warning to other children.

The incident left Connor with second-degree burns on 33% of his body, including on each arm, each leg and his face. His friend was also injured in the incident. Angel Snoke said the friend received second-degree burns on the arm and ear.

Connor was originally expected to be in the Nationwide Children's Hospital burn clinic for about 30 days, or one day for each percentage of burns. But he was expected to be released much sooner than that with burn center visits once or twice a week in the future.

City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery. Connor wanted the Eagle-Gazette to publish this photo as a warning to other children.
City resident Connor Snoke, 11, was severely injured on July 19 by an exploding aerosol can, but is expected to make a complete recovery. Connor wanted the Eagle-Gazette to publish this photo as a warning to other children.

"It's just been a whirlwind," Angel Snoke said. "We have been very honest (with Connor) all the way from Day 1 to what he looks like and what he's going through and what he's going to go through."

She said Connor is handling the experience well. He actually wanted the Eagle-Gazette to publish the photos of his injuries to help prevent other children from a similar fate.

"He's a trooper," Angel Snoke said. "He's trying to get through it with a lot of sarcasm and jokes."

She said the situation has been hard, though.

"It's been very frustrating for me as well," the mother of five said. "Very hard. Very emotional. Connor's always been my safe zone. Every time he gets scared or nervous he likes for me to lay with him, even when he has a headache or anything like that. And I can't lay with him. There's nowhere to hug him, so it's really hard."

Connor sister, Emily Snoke, set up a GoFundMe page for Connor and her family with the goal of raising $10,000. The link is: https://gf.me/v/c/y54f/funds-for-connors-recovery.

Angel Snoke said she disapproved of the page at first because she didn't want people to think the family just wanted money.

"I was upset at first," she said. "I didn't want her to do it. She thinks ahead. I do not. I'm thinking of in the moment of like what I need to do right this minute. I didn't think of the things we needed to do to prepare to go home. So, there's a lot that I didn't think of that she did."

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Boy injured after spray can explodes expected to fully recover