Grandfather faces leg amputation after getting severe burns from a fall onto hot pavement

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AZFamily/Gray News) — A grandfather in Arizona is recovering from severe burns after he fell onto hot pavement while on a walk.

According to a family member, Grant Siler, 72, had gone for an afternoon walk in 110-degree heat on Aug. 3 when he fell, sustaining second- and third-degree burns as he made contact with the pavement.

He now faces surgery to have one of his legs amputated from the knee down.

Bystanders stop to help

Siler’s daughter, Heather Crook, said her father lay on the ground, unable to get up, in extreme heat for nearly an hour.

“My dad was so lethargic and incoherent,” Crook said.

Eventually, some good Samaritans stopped to help.

“They got their sun visors out to shade my dad and poured water on him and the first person who stopped, he already called 911,” Crook said.

Crook said that by the time her father reached the hospital, the emergency room doctor said he was completely unresponsive. She said his core temperature was 105 degrees, and that at 104 degrees, adults can start having seizures, which is when brain damage begins.

Siler suffered second- and third-degree burns to both legs and feet and was transferred to a burn center in Las Vegas, where he has undergone three surgeries. Another surgery has been scheduled for the end of the month to amputate one of his legs from the knee down.

Crook said it is hard to see her father, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, in so much pain.

“He was gripping the arm rails and his teeth were clenched, and his cheeks and jaw were tremoring and shaking, and his hands were shaking on the arm rails of the chair,” Crook said.

“Because he was hurting so bad and looking in his eyes, he couldn’t even talk to me.”

Doctor describes risk of contact burns

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health, said contact burns are a serious problem during the Arizona summer, with dozens of patients coming in every day.

Most victims get burned on hot sidewalks or pavement, like Siler, Foster said.

“With hot ambient temperature, direct sunlight and surfaces get really hot, and it just takes a fraction of a second of exposure to get a deep second- or third-degree burn,” Foster said.

Foster said children and seniors are the most susceptible to contact burn injuries.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Siler as he faces a long road to recovery. Crook said her family is staying positive, leaning on friends and faith.

“God has a plan for all of us, not always our plan, not what we think might be best, but all things work together,” Crook said.