Victim of New River boat explosion recounts terrifying ordeal from his Miami hospital bed

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – An explosion aboard a boat during a music video shoot is still being investigated, and one of the victims is telling his story.

Anthony Muhammad told Local 10′s Ian Margol that he was about two feet away when the explosion happened on the boat in the New River on Oct. 15, and he said he now has a completely different outlook on life.

“I saw a big fireball of fumes just rush toward me, at that time I was thinking, ‘Okay, what just happened,’” Muhammad said.

From his hospital bed in Miami, Muhammad recounted the moments last Thursday when the boat he and 20 others were on burst into flames in Fort Lauderdale’s New River.

“I was thanking God for the years that I did have because I didn’t know if I was going to survive,” he said.

Muhammad, who goes by the stage name “Thinny,” was shooting a music video with a couple other artists on the boat that day.

He said the owner of the boat was a friend of a friend, but he thinks they probably should have done a better job vetting the people operating it.

“They seemed like they had minor issues getting the boat started, but they got it going,” Muhammad said.

A little while later, the group stopped for gas, but when they got back on the water, Muhammad said he could smell gasoline fumes pretty strongly.

Then, suddenly, a fireball burst from a hatch leading to the engine, burning several of the people onboard, but hitting Muhammad the worst.

With second degree burns on his legs and other burns all over his body, Muhammad and the others were rescued by other boaters nearby.

Muhammad was first taken to Broward Health North before he was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he’s still recovering.

And he has a message for everyone.

“I’m not supposed to be here, but you know we have our minor issues in our life that we complain about every single day and I want people to be grateful for where they are and what they are experiencing because somebody is experiencing something worse or something tragic,” he said.

The good news for Muhammad is that on Tuesday his doctor told him he is liking the way his legs are healing, and Muhammad thinks he may be able to get out of the hospital as early as next week if he doesn’t need surgery.

Meanwhile, the cause of the explosion, is still under investigation.