Moorhead Teen Suffers Burns When Demo Derby Car Catches Fire

A Moorhead teen is continuing to recover in a Twin Cities hospital after a car fire at a Minnesota county fair demolition derby. 19 year old Ayden Bernard, was left with severe burns on the right side of his body when his derby car caught fire at the Becker County Fair in Detroit Lakes on July 25. Bernard was first taken to a local hospital before he was airlifted to the Hennepin County Medical Center Burn Unit in Minneapolis. According to a Tuesday update on his CaringBridge page, the injuries Bernard suffered to his face and ear are "healing nicely," while the healing on his right hand – which required surgeries – is progressing as expected. His right knee area is still being monitored to determined whether a skin graft will be required. He is expected to be kept in the Burn Unit until the end of August or beginning of September "due to all the dressing changes and monitoring after the next grafting surgery." A Lend A Hand fundraiser has also been created to help pay for medical bills as Bernard recovers. As of Thursday, the fundraiser had reached around $7,300, with Lend A Hand matching around $1,400.