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Houston area man who burned 90% of body out of ICU
A Houston area man was burned on nearly every part of his body back in March and on Tuesday, he started rehab after spending 86 days in the hospital. FOX 26's Damali Keith spoke with the victim whose story is nothing short of a miracle.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - He was burned on nearly every part of his body back in March 2024, and now Colton Skero is starting rehab. On Monday, the 24-year-old was released from the hospital.
Many say he has a story that is nothing short of a 'miracle.'
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When Colton arrived at Memorial Hermann Hospital by Lifeflight three months ago, doctors literally didn’t know if he would live or die. After suffering second and third degree burns on over 90% of his body, the 24-year-old is alive and doing well.
"I’m good. I’m tired, but glad to be back home. I spent 86 days in the hospital," Colton explains.
What does he remember about that awful day, on March 30, outside his Montgomery County home?
"I remember me and my brother cutting limbs in the yard in the morning, and we broke for lunch, and we started a burn pile. So I was like, ‘I’ll go ahead and put some gasoline on this one side, and it’ll catch later.’ That’s whenever the fumes lit and then, exploded the gas can in my hand," he explains, and Colton says he remembers everything.
"I remember the explosion, the stop, drop, and roll, and then my brother coming out to help me and the paramedics getting there and everything. A lot of the time I had a lot of adrenaline, so for the most part the pain was minimal compared to what I would imagine it to be."
Colton has undergone months of extensive treatment.
"They had to do skin grafts. I had a total of nine surgeries. (You were on a ventilator for a while. They didn’t know if your open wounds would get infected.) Yes ma’am, originally I was potentially going to lose my left arm and my right hand. So they kept having to do emergency surgeries," says Colton, and every operation was a success.
"I’ve definitely been blessed. God’s definitely been looking over me. The day I arrived at the hospital, that morning around 4 a.m. I opened my eyes, which is also unheard of. Typically, with 90% burns, you’re out for at least a week or two. (And the medical staff, it was almost like they saw a ghost when you opened your eyes?) Yes ma’am. They were very shocked".
Colton is now starting outpatient rehab to learn or re-learn quite a bit.
"A lot of the inpatient stuff while I was in the hospital was the majority of walking, and so now it’s getting my stamina back and my fine motor skills. It’s definitely taking some time to get used to everything. Just kind of learning my stamina and my boundaries."
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Even speaking again was a chore for him.
"Yes, my speech therapist, they worked me a lot. Some of the videos from the first time I spoke, they were very excited, but I was really incoherent."
Why does he believe he’s still here?
"I definitely think God has some things in store. Other than that, I don’t see why I would still be around."
The 24-year-old still has to have a few more surgeries, but he’s grateful to be alive and plans to use his second chance at life to encourage and inspire others.