Vermont Public is independent, community-supported media, serving Vermont with trusted, relevant and essential information. We share stories that bring people together, from every corner of our region. New to Vermont Public? Start here.

© 2024 Vermont Public | 365 Troy Ave. Colchester, VT 05446

Public Files:
WVTI · WOXM · WVBA · WVNK · WVTQ · WVTX
WVPR · WRVT · WOXR · WNCH · WVPA
WVPS · WVXR · WETK · WVTB · WVER
WVER-FM · WVLR-FM · WBTN-FM

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@vermontpublic.org or call 802-655-9451.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Rutland Girl Critically Injured In Bahamas Boat Explosion

A Rutland girl and her mother were seriously injured in a tour boat explosion in the Bahamas on Saturday.

Stacey Schaffer and her daughter Stefanie were among 10 American tourists and two Bahamians who were on the boat when the explosion occurred.

According to news accounts, Stefanie Schaffer sustained life-threatening injuries and had to have both legs amputated. She is reportedly in a medically induced coma in a hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, where her mother is also being treated for broken bones and other injuries.

Two other family members, Stefanie’s sister Brooke and stepfather, Paul Bender, were also on the boat. They sustained less serious injuries.

A GoFundMe page that has been created to help the family with medical and travel expenses. The page raised more than $60,000 in one day.

The cause of the explosion is not yet known.

Update 7/3/2018 4:09 p.m. According to the GoFundMe page set up to help the family with expenses, Stefanie Schaffer and her mother Stacey were taken to a Florida hospital. The GoFundMe site has raised more than $100,000 for medical and other expenses, with a goal of $200,000.

Steve has been with VPR since 1994, first serving as host of VPR’s public affairs program and then as a reporter, based in Central Vermont. Many VPR listeners recognize Steve for his special reports from Iran, providing a glimpse of this country that is usually hidden from the rest of the world. Prior to working with VPR, Steve served as program director for WNCS for 17 years, and also worked as news director for WCVR in Randolph. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Steve also worked for stations in Phoenix and Tucson before moving to Vermont in 1972. Steve has been honored multiple times with national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for his VPR reporting, including a 2011 win for best documentary for his report, Afghanistan's Other War.
Latest Stories