Focused on moving forward

LUTZ - Mike Atherton remembers only parts of May 9 and then just glimpses over the next two months. Now, he sits in the living room of his Lutz home, dark gray prosthetic legs hang from the edge of his wheelchair, his metal feet covered by running shoes scuff the hardwood floor; a mechanical hand whirrs when he opens and closes his left fist.

Atherton's life changed forever after the boat he was on - a vessel owned by his father-in-law and named for his daughter - exploded that day in Tampa Bay, marking one of the most devastating boating accidents in the Bay in recent memory. Besides Atherton, 13 others, all family members, were on board that day. Atherton was the most seriously injured.

He talks easily about the day; how he was standing near the rear of the boat; his wife, Carrie, playing cards nearby and his daughter, Maddie, and son, Quinn, below deck in the bow. It was a good day for a short trip with the family, all of whom were in town for Maddie's First Communion the next day.

The sun was out, visibility was clear and the temperature neared 90 degrees. In short, the weather was perfect for what had been planned as a half-day jaunt on the water. Just after 10 a.m., Atherton's in-laws, George and Nancy Jo Meyer, left Apollo Beach with their passengers aboard the 33-foot Sea Ray Sundancer cabin cruiser named Maddie Mae.

A day later, six family members remained in the hospital, some, including Atherton, his wife and George Meyer, gravely injured. Everyone was in some state of shock. The 14-year-old vessel burned to the water line, destroyed in a rattling explosion that caught the attention of boaters for miles around.

The boat had nestled near Pine Key Island, also known as Beer Can Island, just east of MacDill Air Force Base. It had been expertly anchored, as George Meyer was an experienced sailor, and some of the family hopped overboard and began wading in waist deep water to shore. They returned to the boat for lunch after which four adults hopped into the water to return for a shore excursion.

Flying through the air

Ten remained aboard the $45,000 Fiberglas cabin cruiser, with two inboard engines that churned with 620 horsepower, when the stern exploded, ripping the air around the island and tearing apart the lives of the people on that boat. Incredibly, no one was killed.

Atherton says: "I was flying through the air forever. I landed in the water. I saw my wife face down. I blacked out."

Carrie Atherton says she remembers nothing of the explosion, only being on the boat and then waking up in the hospital.

"I don't remember anything," she says. "I remember only playing cards and that's it."

The next thing Mike Atherton recalls is being on the beach of the island, a stranger telling him he and his relatives were going to be OK. He felt no pain and vaguely recalls someone mentioning tourniquets.

The next thing he remembers is being in the hospital. It was June and he was missing a month and his legs. Doctors told him they were trying to save his left arm, "but you might wake up without it," he says.

The blast took its toll on others on the cruise. Broken bones, bruises and cuts were the minor injuries. Atherton's father-in-law George Meyer lost a leg. The children, who were in the forward cabin watching "Kung Fu Panda" were spared the worst of it.

Shrieks from adults and children could be heard by witnesses on nearby boats and on the island, about 150 feet away. A short time later, flames engulfed the Maddie Mae.

A personal watercraft rider told investigators he saw a woman scream from inside the hull of the boat.

"She appeared uninjured at that time the flames were growing and lots of people were attempting to help the victims," said Ofscar C. Nurse in an affidavit. "I felt helpless and left the immediate scene and prayed for the victims and their families."

Other witnesses said the blast tossed debris and boat parts 35 feet in the air.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators said a generator had just been turned on and a spark may have ignited gasoline fumes that had built up in the engine compartment. Without proper ventilation, fumes can accumulate and cause an explosion. There were conflicting statements about whether the blowers, which would have vented the fumes out of the compartment, were turned on.

Still, investigators said: "The exact cause of the explosion cannot be determined."

Besides Mike, 33, and Carrie Atherton, 33, others hospitalized were: Meyer, 57, and his 55-year-old wife, Nancy Jo, who suffered broken bones in her face, both of her legs, left arm and ribs; Logan Meyer, 8, and Angela Meyer, 37, of Denver, Iowa.

Officials at the time said it was a miracle that people on the boat survived. Investigators at the time said the explosion was the worst they had seen.

Others on the boat included: Brian Meyer, 35, Brooks Meyer, 7, and Abry Meyer, 4, all of Iowa; and Kim Sutton, 27, Chris Sutton, 32, Caleb Sutton, 3; and the Atherton children, Quinn, 4, and Maddie, 8, all of Lutz.

Planning ahead

With the battle to stay alive won, Mike Atherton now sets a course for full recovery. He plans on one day going back to work, perhaps not as a lineman for Progress Energy like before, but some other job with the utility. He wants to resume working out and running again. He wants to get back on water skis with his daughter. The two had competed as a doubles team in ski shows prior to the explosion.

Right now, he's struggling to walk. He says he can walk about an hour at a time, before exhaustion overtakes him. His therapy calls for walking on grass, on slopes, taking corners. It was so much easier with real legs, he says.

He never thought about walking around a corner or working his left hand. A lifelong southpaw, he's had to learn to write and do things with his right hand. And he has to think about which arm muscles to flex to trigger the gripping mechanism in his hand.

"Just to get up and walk takes a lot of time," he said. "I have to get all my parts on. If I fall, I just can't get up." He feels a constant tingling of "pins and needles" in the feet and hand that are no longer there.

Through it all, he retains a sense of humor.

Talking about his prosthetic legs, he joked about getting ones that would make him taller. But he decided against it.

"I'm cheap," he says. "I asked them to make me the same height so my pants will still fit me."

He's not angry or bitter. He's not blaming anyone or anything.

"Everything happens for a reason," he says. "I'd just like to know why this happened. I may never get to know."