A 12-year-old home-schooled boy suffered horrific second- and third-degree burns to 50 percent of his body after a science experiment went horribly wrong.
Barrett McKim is recovering in the intensive care unit at the Burn Care Center in Augusta, Georgia after setting himself on fire five weeks ago in his Highland, North Carolina home during an experiment with rubbing alcohol and Bunsen burner.
His mother, Caroline McKim, said she heard a “loud bang” before Barrett ran out with his “whole body on fire.”
Caroline ran to his aid and tried to put out the flames when Barrett asked, “Mommy, tell me the truth, am I dying?”
The pair were taken on a life flight to Augusta Hospital where Barrett underwent 10 surgeries, the last of which involved extensive skin grafts.
Caroline, who suffered severe burns to her hands and arms during her rescue attempt, has recently regained movement and is undergoing physical therapy.
Barrett McKim (left) recovers in the intensive care unit of the Burn Care Center in Augusta, Georgia after setting himself on fire five weeks ago in his Highland, North Carolina home during an experiment with rubbing alcohol and Bunsen burner
Barrett suffered horrific second- and third-degree burns to 50 percent of his body after science experiment went horribly wrong
Barrett, who loves science, suffered burns to his neck, torso, arms, hands and thighs on June 23 after a science experiment exploded in his face.
The Bunsen burner he used ignited a bottle of rubbing alcohol, another part of the experiment, causing the 12-year-old boy to go up in flames.
“I thought something had fallen or something had cracked, maybe like a glass,” Caroline said WRDW-TV earlier this month. “And I got up, and as I walked to the front of the house, he came running on fire, and his whole body is on fire.”
Caroline grabbed the nearby pillows and began hitting Barrett with them in a failed attempt to put out the fire.
‘It wouldn’t go out; the fire wouldn’t go out,’ she recalled. “I tried to get it on the floor to get it rolling, but it wouldn’t come out.
“So I just screamed out to God to give me some direction on what to do. We were right next to the kitchen, so I just put it on the floor next to the sink and I took the sprayer out of the sink, and I just started spraying it off.
“Barrett just asked me at that point, ‘Am I going to die? Am I dying? Mama, tell me the truth, am I going to die?’
His mother said she heard a “loud bang” before Barrett ran out with his “whole body on fire.” She ran to his aid and tried to extinguish the flames when Barrett asked, “Mommy, tell me the truth, am I going to die?”
He was flown with his life to Augusta Hospital, where Barrett underwent 10 surgeries, the last of which involved extensive skin grafts.
Caroline called 911 and continued to spray water on Barrett until the ambulance arrived, the family has said. The couple were flown from their home in North Carolina to the burn center in Augusta.
“He had no skin. From his fingertips to his knees. And some parts were white. Just white,” Caroline said of his initial injuries.
She added: “He wore his glasses during this experiment, which we believe saved his eyes.”
It’s unclear what kind of experiment he was conducting at the time of the accident, other than rubbing alcohol and a Bunsen burner.
Now, five weeks after the tragic accident, Barrett is making “big strides” in what will be a years-long journey to recovery.
“A few times a day we get up and out of bed, we try to walk and move around, and he’s doing really well,” the boy’s father, Kyle McKim, said. WLOS Thursday.
“He’s still fighting through the pain and forcing himself into physical therapy, so he’s doing well there.”
In his most recent surgery, surgeons used healthy skin from his back and thighs to make grafts for the damaged tissue
Barrett managed to walk up and down a flight of stairs this week, which his parents said was a significant improvement
Once home, Barrett will still be in recovery mode, will need to wear bandages, receive physical therapy and be treated for his pain
Barrett has already had 10 surgeries, the most recent of which was on Wednesday. Surgeons performed a skin graft using healthy tissue from his body.
“Eventually they took the skin from the back of his thighs that weren’t burned, his whole back. Then he’d had second-degree burns on the front of his thighs that had actually healed, and they took the skin from the healed second-degree burns for his grafts,” Caroline explained.
The family are watching Barrett’s recovery day by day, but say doctors are optimistic he could be eligible for hospital discharge in the next two weeks.
Barrett managed to walk up and down a flight of stairs this week, which his parents said was a significant improvement.
“This is a very long way. We are, hopefully, on the downward slope of being in the hospital,” Caroline said.
Once home, however, Barrett will still be in recovery mode, having to wear bandages, receive physical therapy, and be treated for his pain.
“We’re probably looking at, from what we’re hearing, probably an 18-month to two-year path of some ongoing physical therapy,” Kyle told the TV station.
His mother, Caroline, suffered severe burns to her hands and arms during her rescue attempt. She recently got some exercise back in her hands and is in physiotherapy
Barrett, who spoke to WLOS-TV on Wednesday, said he’s starting to feel better
Barrett said he is most looking forward to seeing his siblings when he is released from the hospital, which could happen as early as next week
Barrett, who spoke to WLOS-TV on Wednesday, said he’s starting to feel better.
“Hey there Barrett, how are you feeling?” asked reporter Hannah Mackenzie.
He replied in a weak voice, “Okay.”
“What are you most looking forward to when you get out of the hospital?” she probed further.
“Probably see my siblings,” Barrett replied. ‘And archery. I do archery every week. I like that very much.’
The McKim family said they feel very blessed with the tremendous amount of support they have received during this process.
A GoFundMe account created to help with Barrett’s medical expenses had raised more than $152,000 Friday night.
The family also shared how people from all over the country sent cards to the hospital to bring some joy to Barrett.
“We’ve had cards from people in Colorado, in Michigan, Hawaii, people we don’t even know who just say, ‘We’re praying for you and we’re thinking of you and we hope you get well.’ ‘ said Caroline.
Kyle added: “We are very grateful. As difficult as it has been, we continue to count our blessings on what the Lord has done to heal and protect us.”
Caroline noted that she’s also starting to recover from her own injuries sustained during the accident, saying, “I’m on physical therapy, just to get the movement back and just get back to grips and things like that.”
A GoFundMe account created to help with Barrett’s medical expenses had raised more than $152,000 Friday night