New England connections among Brussels victims

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/03/23/new-england-connections-among-brussels-victims/

According to multiple reports, there are at least a pair of connections to New England among the hundreds who were either killed or injured in Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels.

The Hartford Courant reported that a resident of Fairfield, Conn., was injured in the attack. The office of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) confirmed one of his constituents received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, but would not release the name of the victim.

The Courant also reported that three students from Quinnipiac University were in the vicinity of the airport attack and managed to escape unharmed.

The second victim with New England connections, 19-year-old Mormon missionary Mason Wells, is expected to make a full recovery from the airport blast, which left him with a handful of injuries including a severed Achilles tendon and severe burns.

Although a native of Sandy, Utah, Wells and his father were in the vicinity of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings while waiting to watch his mother finish the race.

‘‘Hopefully he’s run his lifelong odds and we’re done,’’ said his father, Chad Wells, to the Boston Globe. ‘‘I think it will make him a stronger person. … Maybe the Boston experience was there to help him get through this experience.’’