The 6-year-old Connecticut boy whose face was severely burned by a bully who allegedly threw a flaming tennis ball at him hung a heartfelt sign from his hospital room window thanking first responders Thursday — as his family revealed his harrowing road to recovery.
Little Dominick Krankall’s sister, Kayla Deegan, said the brave boy has to eat through a straw with his face wrapped in a full mask of gauze, and that he’ll likely have to spend three more weeks in the hospital.
Dominick thanks first responders from his hotel room. Matthew McDermott
Dominick is currently recovering at Bridgeport Hospital. GoFundMe“It’s tough, it’s really heartbreaking to see him not being able to eat. Sipping soup through a straw is not anything a kid should have to go through. It’s hard to talk about it,” said Deegan, 20.
She said her little brother is in pain with a severely swollen face and is “going to be mentally scarred and hopefully not physically scarred.”
The boy was burned by an eight-year-old bully. GoFundMe“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” she added. “[We want to] get this whole thing figured out for him and get justice for him.”
The boy could be seen in his room at Bridgeport Hospital wrapped in facial bandages next to a sign thanking his rescuers Thursday morning — as first responders waved and cheered him on from the street below.
A child holds a sign for Dominick outside his hospital room. Matthew McDermott“Thank You, [Love,] Dominick,” the sign declared, next to images of cop cars and police badges.
Krankall was playing in his backyard in Bridgeport on Sunday when an 8-year-old allegedly snatched gasoline and a lighter from a shed before coaxing the child to come near him — and chucking the flaming ball at him, according to Deegan.
The 8-year-old bully reportedly has a history of picking on Krankall but his mother has failed to take action to stop it, she said.
Dominick was met with a “Parade of Heroes” today in Bridgeport. Matthew McDermottKrankall’s recovery is now slowly “progressing”, Deegan said.
“He’s pushing through, he’s a tough kid. He’s brave,” she said, adding he’ll remain at the hospital for “a few more weeks.”
“He’s doing a little bit better, still wrapped up, still in pain, but he is in good spirits,” she said.
The mayor of Bridgeport also spoke to Dominick on a loudspeaker. Matthew McDermottA lawyer for the boy’s family, Francis DiScala, said there’s a history of conflict between the two families.
“I know there is a lot of concern about the history, but now the family is going to focus on the healing,” he said.
“When a child gets burned in the face, there is liability, and we will be sure to do the best we can,” he added, without elaborating.
Bridgeport Police didn’t return a request for comment Thursday.
