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Teen hurt in Lake Lanier boat explosion takes first steps since the accident

Taylor Coleman was severely burned in a Mother's Day boat explosion. Over a month later, she's finally out of her hospital bed and walking.

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Over a month after a boat explosion on Lake Lanier sent a 16-year-old and her family members to the hospital, she is finally taking her first steps. 

The boat exploded while Taylor Coleman's younger brothers, Ryder and Gunner, and their parents, Steve and Annie, were also on the boat. The entire family was injured, but Taylor and Gunner suffered severe burns. They had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital. 

Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Mark McKinnon said the family was fueling up at a gas dock on Mother's Day. 

Annie was also hospitalized. She and Gunner have since been treated and released from the hospital.

Now, Taylor is out of her hospital bed and walking for the first time since the accident. 11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross posted the update to her Facebook page. 

I HAVE THE MOST INCREDIBLE NEWS!!! Taylor is up out of her hospital bed and WALKING! This is sincerely amazing! The 16...

Posted by Kaitlyn Ross 11Alive on Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Last month, Gunner returned home from the hospital for the first time since the accident. His football family surprised him while wearing "Coleman Strong" t-shirts two days after he got back.

 

Taylor is the only family member that is still in the hospital since the accident. She is expected to stay there while she continues to recover.

Friends of the Coleman family have rallied together since the boat exploded. They set up a fundraising page for the family.

What happened to the boat that day is still under investigation.

"The gas tank exploded and the Lake Lanier people took the boat but they still don't know what's going on," Gunner previously told 11Alive. "Neither does the insurance company. It passed the inspection before it was ever turned on."  

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