Fundraiser created for families of four men injured in Douglas County paving incident

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Four employees with Nevada Paving were seriously injured at a job site explosion on September 27 and a GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up for their families.

All men are currently at the UC Davis burn center, and Kevin Warren of Nevada Paving said it is very expensive for the families to travel, stay away from home, and still have normal expenses covered.

"We are trying to do everything we can for them," said Kevin.

While filling roadway cracks at a residential area in Gardnerville, Nev., the equipment that heats the filler unexpectedly exploded, and the men were covered in the extremely hot, sticky material. They suffered severe burns to their hands, arms, torsos, and faces.

The men are Cuitlahuac Magana, Sergio Lepe, James Wright and Jesus Hernandez.

Cuitlahuac was the most seriously injured. He is currently being kept unconscious most of the time because of significant burns to most of his body. He has undergone several surgeries and will have many more to come, likely including the amputation of all of his fingers on both hands. His wife is by his side. She relied on Cuitlahuac for support and has no extra income to remain away from home to be with him. Kevin said they are hoping the fundraising effort will enable Cuitlahuac's wife to be able to stay in Sacramento and keep her household and children afloat during the next four months that he is expected to be in intensive care at the hospital.

The other three men were also seriously injured, and will each undergo several surgeries and have extended stays at the burn center. Their families face a similar burden in wanting to be with them and not being able to afford to do so.

Kevin said their goal with this fundraising effort is to enable family members to be able to spend as much time as possible with their injured loved ones. The treatment will be long and excruciatingly painful. The funds we raise will be used by the families to cover Sacramento travel and lodging expenses and to help them pay day-to-day expenses while on greatly reduced incomes.

To find out more, visit https://gofund.me/9dd3c2c8.