Gas worker injured in Bremerton motel explosion still recovering at Harborview

SEATTLE -- It's been two weeks since a Bremerton motel exploded after a gas leak injuring a Cascade Natural Gas worker.

59-year-old Larry Jennings remains in the ICU at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

“For him to have survived that kind of huge explosion being that close to it -- it’s a miracle,” said his wife Lynette.

She and their two children, Brannen and Justin, still don't understand how he survived.

“If he would have fallen two feet to one side he would have hit a concrete bulkhead,” said Brannen.

Back on August 18th, Larry was trying to fix a gas line at the Motel 6 in Bremerton, when it exploded.

“They had the firefighters surrounding him, pointing the hoses at him ready for worst case scenario, an explosion. And he was right in the middle of it. He had been blown up and over. Four feet up and ten feet back and he ran into a grass bank and that played a role in saving his life,” said Brannen.

Larry is in the ICU with broken vertebrae in his neck and back.

“The broken bones, the broken ribs, the broken scapula, the broken clavicle, are all healing on their own. He had a broken nose. He inhaled particles from the explosion to his throat and they are just going to let that heal,” said Lynette.

He's healing well. Something else his family can't understand is that he won't even require surgery or skin grafting.

“We weren't expecting him to make it through the first night and now he's able to communicate with us. His burns are healing fantastic. He's just doing so much better,” said Lynette.

In the room next door, Larry's family said they find solace with the relatives of 25-year-old firefighter Daniel Lyon, who survived when flames overtook his vehicle near Twisp, killing three fellow firefighters.

“It’s very comforting for us to have another family in there who's going through a traumatic situation, to share and encourage. We are just right there for each other,” said Lynette.

While they may never understand how or why, maybe some things aren't meant to be reasoned. Maybe just being grateful is enough.

“He's our hero. He's my soul mate and I’m watching him recover little by little. I know he's going to be fine,” said Lynette.

The family says their original gofundme account was accidentally deleted and all the money was refunded. They have set up a new gofundme and if you would like to help the Jennings family, click here.