Teen injured in Brussels survived Paris and Boston terror

Mason Wells, a Mormon from Utah, was with two other missionaries in the departure hall of Zevantem airport when he was hit by shrapnel from one of two explosions yesterday morning.

Wells, 19, was with Richard Norby, 66, and Joseph Empey, 20, fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who had been taking a French colleague to the airport.

He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery to repair his Achilles heel, and was treated for burns on his face and shrapnel injuries.

His parents, Chad and Kymberly Wells, described his survival as a “miracle”, as it emerged that he had already had two brushes with terror attacks.

He was in Boston watching his mother complete the marathon in 2013, when the event was hit by a terror attack. He was “a block away” from where bombs went off, they said.

Odds of being in a terror attack: 
While Belgium was one of nine Western countries deemed to be at greater risk of a terror attack last year compared with the previous year, the chances of being injured in an attack in Belgium last year were still relatively low, according to the AON risk consultancy group. 
Insurers say that the odds of an American being fatally struck in a terror attack is about 1 in 20 million. A person is 30 times more likely to be hit by lightening. 
The riskiest region in the world for terror last year was South Asia, followed by North Africa, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, according to AON.

Last year, he was a few hours from Paris as a series of explosions were detonated across the city, killing 130.

“I’m completely shocked by the news. It’s the kind of thing as a parent you never, ever want to wake up to,” Chad Wells said.

“Hopefully he’s run his lifelong odds and we’re done… I think it will make him a stronger person. Maybe the Boston experience was there to help him get through this experience.”

Mr Wells said that his son was “recuperating well. He’s in [as] good spiritas as can be expected…he was very close to the bomb when it exploded. It’s a miracle that he made it through as easy as he did with lower leg injuries, and some shrapnel metal burns, light, minor burns.”

Mason had moved to the Belgian capital five weeks ago, his mother said. Before that he had been in France. “We knew when the Paris attacks happened that he was a few hours outside of Paris,” she said. “We weren’t as concerned. This time we were concerned because this was Mason’s area. This is where he walked everyday.”

Mr Empey’s parents said that that their son was treated for burns to his face, hands and head, and had undergone surgery for shrapnel injuries to his legs. “We have been in touch with him and he is grateful and in good spirits,” they said.

The three were with Sister Fanny Rachel Clain, 20, of Montlimar, France, who was hospitalised with minor injuries. She had left them and passed through airport security when the explosion occurred.