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Saturday, May 11, 2002 was set to be a great day, my 2nd annual Pig Pick'n. We started cooking the 90lb pig around 11am, which would have it done between 5 and 6pm.

At about 12:30pm, I went out to check on the pig. Lifting the lid on the propane cooker, I noticed the fire had gone out. Since the lid is very heavy, I lowered it. I went around to the back of the cooker where there was a license plate size door. I Squatted down next to the opening, so the breeze would not blow the match out. I lit it.

In that split second, I knew I had screwed up!! While the fire was out, the cooker had filled up with propane gas. I saw the beginnings of the fireball that came out of the opening and enveloped me. I raised my left arm to protect my face and started to turn away from the cooker. I was blown back about five feet, but remained on my feet. My fiancée was in the house preparing food and she heard a POP. As I was walking towards the back of the house, she came down the stairs on the deck. She was not sure what had happened. Only that I was walking towards her with my arms extended. She said I kind of looked like Frankenstein.

We discovered that I was burned on both hands, both arms, both legs, a small place on my neck and my sideburns and eyebrows were a little shorter. In a lot of pain, we wrapped the worst of the burns in a cool wet sheet. My buddy happened to be there, so he rushed me to the emergency room. The last thing I said to my fiancée on the way out the door was don't turn off the cooker. She called another buddy of mine to come over and finish cooking the pig.

After four hours in the ER, they had me pretty well bandaged up. Pumped full of morphine and vicodin, I returned home just in time for the first guests to start arriving. Though, the pig pick'n was much more subdued than last year, it was still a pretty good time. After a trip to the ER and two trips to the UNC burn center, I anticipate a full recovery!

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ED: Those are some nasty burns. Man, you can practically do the Hokey-Pokey with burned body parts. We are glad you are expecting a full recovery. Remember what Frankenstein always says, "Fire BAD!".

Updated 08/29/2002 with two week updates and four week updates. The burn looks good!

Photos:
Left leg- crispy
Right leg- hairless
Left arm top
Left arm bottom
Left arm- side
Before and after the ER
2 week update- wearing a watch?
2 week update- still pretty red
4 week update- looking good
4 week update- looks like a suntan now