Injury Date: December 6, 2004

Injuries: Third degree burns from white phosphorous UXO.

CPI Assistance: Emergency medical treatment, continuous medical treatment.

When Nguyen Huu Duong of Quang Tri province in Central Vietnam learned that he had not passed the local high school entrance exam, he was very disappointed. He had worked hard in preparation for the exam, but it was just not meant to be. Duong decided to focus his attention elsewhere. He pledged to be useful and to make some money to support his interests and to help his family.

Duong had a family friend who owned a bulldozer, and Duong approached his friend to see if he had some ideas on how to make money. His older friend suggested that Duong learn how to operate the bulldozer; this way Duong could work for the man in the future and would be able to make some money. The man had a plot of land that needed to be readied for tree planting, and Duong could help the man accomplish this. Duong thought this was a splendid idea and agreed to start his bulldozer-driving lessons right away. The two men worked together to learn the ins and outs of the bulldozer, and it wasn’t long before Duong understood the basic workings of the machine. He still needed driving practice, but was confident in the lessons he had received from his friend.

During the afternoon of December 6, 2004, Duong decided to practice on the machine. His friend was napping in the house nearby when Duong took the bulldozer out in the sunshine. He started the machine and successfully made several rounds on the land. He practiced shifting between the forward gears as well as the reverse gears. He had it down.

He was moving the bulldozer forward once more when all of a sudden he noticed smoke coming from the front of the bulldozer. He saw immediately that something was smoking under the treads of the bulldozer. Fearing the bulldozer could be irreversibly damaged, or worse yet, could explode if the flames reached the gas tank, Duong jumped down and quickly tried to stamp out the smoke billowing from the ground.

The plastic sandals he was wearing on his feet melted immediately. Pain seared through his left foot and he screamed in pain. The white phosphorous was burning the sole of his left foot as he stood there in horror. He stamped his feet again, and the pain abated slightly.

Hearing his cries, his friend woke up and ran to the field to see what had happened. He immediately turned off the bulldozer and took Duong to his home to take care of the wounds. Once he arrived, Duong’s family members took great care in moving him and washed his feet with soap and water. Duong was still in incredible pain. Over the next couple hours, the pain increased and a neighbor who had come by to help confirmed that he had been burned by white phosphorous and that professional medical attention was needed.

Duong was taken to the Trieu Phong district hospital, where physicians treated his burns. They could only do so much for the young boy, and recommended he be transferred to Quang Tri General Hospital for more intensive treatment. Once at Quang Tri, physicians there were required to remove a significant amount of flesh and muscle from his foot in order to ensure no residue from the white phosphorous remained.

CPI has reimbursed Duong’s family with nearly 1,500,000 VND for medical and hospital costs.