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All Lauren Urey remembered when she stood up from behind the rock that sheltered her from the Whakaari/White Island eruption was screams.
WARNING: This story contains images and details some readers may distressing.
She and her husband Matthew were two of the 47 people on the crater when it erupted on December 9, 2019, with 22 later dying from extreme burns and blast injuries.
The New Zealand island’s owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle; their company Whakaari Management Ltd; and tour operators ID Tours NZ Ltd and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd, went on trial yesterday in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff.
In a police interview with Urey played in court, the US woman spoke about the moment they were engulfed by the eruption.
“My body was sizzling,” she said.
The couple were on their honeymoon during their trip to White Island.
Urey told the court the last few years had been “extremely hard”, Stuff reported.
Urey had burns on 23 per cent of her body, but it was her lungs the doctors were most worried about.
She had undergone dozens of surgeries, with another scheduled for later this month.
She also claimed the couple had been impacted beyond their injuries, telling the court she was classed as “high risk” for having children.
“I thought we were in good hands, and I thought we were safe,” she said.
She said she would not have gone on the island if she had known it could erupt.
Lawyer for ID Tours David Neutze asked if she had read the brochure for the tour, which described White Island as New Zealand’s most active volcano.
Urey said she had compared the risk to that posed by “active volcanoes” in the US that did not erupt, such as in Hawaii.
Neutze asked her if it would be fair to say Royal Caribbean, the cruise where they booked the tour, should have warned them about wearing more protective clothing.
Urey said she believed there were “several entities” that should have warned them.
He asked if she recalled any conversations about an eruption, but Urey said she was “fairly confident” this was never discussed.
She said the group was not told what to do if there was an eruption.
Earlier, Matthew Urey told the court he suffered burns to 53 per cent of his body, Stuff reported.
The worst were on his lower arms and legs, face and neck, where he was not covered by clothing, he said.
He said he had been told to wear closed-toed shoes, but that he would have been better off if he had also worn a long shirt and pants.
Urey claimed the safety briefing didn’t take place until the tourists were on the island, and that he was still left with no real understanding of eruption risks.
They were told White Island was at “level two”, but that the numbering system wasn’t explained.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have gone on that island if I knew eruption was level three,” he claimed.
He said he and his wife wanted to relax on their honeymoon and weren’t looking for thrills.
Videos of the Ureys speaking to detectives were also played to the court.
Matthew Urey said the group was on the way back from the crater when somebody yelled “look” and the guide said “run”, Stuff reported.
On their way back to the boat, the group stopped and hid behind a rock.
Urey said he remembered his flesh burning, and described it as a burning hot wave of pitch blackness.
After they made it to a dock, Urey said they were taken onto a boat, but he didn’t receive any medical treatment until they reached shore, 90 minutes later.
Lauren Urey said in her interview that she asked a tour guide about the risk of an eruption, but was told not to worry, Stuff reported.
She spoke about the moment she and her husband were engulfed by the eruption.
“He screamed in agony, I’ve never heard him scream like that before. I remember him saying sorry, and me screaming in agony,” she said.
“I just thought for sure we were going to die and I just wanted him to know that I loved him and so I just held onto his hand and I kept telling him I loved him.”
Lauren Urey said in the video interview she was still seeking help for depression and PTSD.
Yesterday, prosecutor Kristy McDonald accused the Buttle brothers of choosing not to seek expert advice about eruption risks.
The trial continues.
