What Happened to Dave Blankenship on 'Oak Island'?

Fans of The Curse of Oak Island are by now as familiar as could be with brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, whose mission in life is to find the mysterious treasure of Oak Island. Over the course of 10 seasons, Marty and Rick have carefully analyzed bountiful new information to aid in their hunt — things only available now thanks to advances in technology. Their efforts continue to bring the duo steps closer to the treasure they seek.

The hunt for gold can be traced all the way back to 1795, when a teenager found an indented spot near a tree on Oak Island that made people believe there was hidden treasure buried in the ground. The spot became known as "The Money Pit" and people traveled from far and wide to Nova Scotia to try their hand at digging for Captain Kidd's alleged treasure. According to the legend, seven people have even died trying to get their hands on the treasure.

But Rick and Marty aren't the only ones who have dedicated their lives to the Money Pit. When they started their journey in 2006, they worked alongside a man by the name of Dan Blankenship, whose relationship with Oak Island far predated Rick and Marty's time. Dan started his mission decades prior to the brothers, leaving everything behind in Florida to devote his life to the Oak Island treasure.

Sadly, Dan passed away on March 17, 2019, according to a Facebook group in his honor. His son, Dave Blankenship, has since taken over, and he plans on carrying out the mission to honor his father.

If you've watched The Curse of Oak Island, then you've likely noticed that Dave Blankenship seemingly has an injury of some kind, as he limps a bit when he walks. In the episode that introduces Dave, he actually explains what happened to him.

In 1986, Dave fell 46 feet on a job site and suffered from a stroke when he landed due to a disengaged artery on his neck. After waking up from a coma, the then 36-year-old Dave had to completely relearn how to walk and talk. Unfortunately, this left Dave with little to no feeling on the left side of his body, though he's never let it slow him down.

Today, Dave and his wife still live on Oak Island as two of its only permanent inhabitants. Up until recently, they ran tours of the island, however its since been closed to visitors.

Catch new episodes of The Curse of Oak Island on the History Channel, airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The History Channel.