A dad-of-two says he’s “lucky to be alive” after he was engulfed in flames when a gas canister exploded in his hands.
Mike Boosinger was trying to burn cardboard that he cleared out of his shed when the 22-litre canister unexpectedly blew up.
The 44-year-old, who doesn’t work due to a disability, was engulfed in flames and a horrified neighbour called an ambulance.
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Mike was left with third-degree burns covering his arms and legs and says medics couldn’t believe he’d survived his horror injuries.
He said: “I remember the pain. It went up my nose and down my throat.
‘My clothes, hair and face were on fire. I’m lucky to be alive.
“I was cleaning out the shed – there were foxes living in there so I had to kick them out – and burning rubbish in the garden.
“I was pouring the gas into a cup to throw onto the cardboard. I don’t know why but it blew up in my hand.
“I don’t really remember what happened next, but I banged on the neighbour’s door and she called an ambulance. My fiancée has been round to apologise to her, because it must have scared her.
“The paramedics couldn’t believe I was alive.”
The father, of Wahoo in Nebraska, US, was rushed to Lincoln Hospital burns unit and spent six hours in surgery on 3 July.
He had shark cartilage applied to his right leg and pig grafts on his left leg and arms.
His fiancée, Cameron Eggert, 43, said: “It was terrifying. He’d been cleaned up when I got to the hospital and was wrapped up.
“I didn’t think he was going to survive.”
Mike says he’s been left with PTSD from the freak accident and will need more skin grafts as reported on Need To Know.
He said: “I keep having nightmares and flashbacks. I wake up in the night screaming. I’ve got PTSD.
“I won’t recover for a long time. I can’t walk or put weight on my right leg. I scream in pain when I’m showering. I have to use a walking stick and I’m sofa-bound.
“It’s been tough.”
Mike and Cameron have set up a GoFundMe page to raise $5,000 (£3,870) to help with essentials such as transport to the hospital.
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