Benny Roberts, 26, of Bluefield, WV, who was burned in a propane explosion two weeks ago, told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph he hopes to return to work soon. Roberts, who is currently on medical leave, received second-degree burns to his face and neck after obliging a stranger driving a pickup truck who asked for a light for a cigarette.
When Roberts reached his arm through the lowered window to light the diver’s cigarette, there was an explosion. While his fiancé and others scrambled to help Roberts, sitting him down near a dumpster and placing a cold rag on his injured face and neck, the pickup driver drove away.
Roberts was transported by ambulance to the Bluefield Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a specialized burn treatment center in Pittsburgh. While hospitalized, physicians assessed his burns, hearing and breathing.
Roberts told doctors he was not experiencing difficulties breathing or hearing and received treatment for his burns. He returned home after being discharged and hopes to receive the okay from his doctors to return to work soon.
The explosion took place near a Burger King restaurant where employees working the drive-through window said the pickup driver had been seen with a propane tank and hose in the passenger seat, according to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. When law enforcement officials arrived at the driver’s home, the badly burned man opened the door and an intense odor of propane rushed from the home’s interior. The propane tank in question was found inside.