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ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Payson man who was critically injured last week in a North Dakota oil rig explosion was taken off life support Friday morning after it was discovered that his injuries were far more extensive than was originally thought.
Doctors at Regions Hospital in St. Paul determined that Todd Kinkaid, 28, had fourth-degree burns over much of his body, according to Jacey Roby, a close friend of Kinkaid's. The doctors tried a procedure that would clone Kinkaid's skin, but were unsuccessful.
Roby said doctor's informed Kinkaid's family that the burns were so deep that the man would be in extreme pain for the rest of his life.
"He had told his family that if he ever had to be on life support he hoped they would turn it off because he knew it would be only If he was extremely injured," Roby said. "We are all deeply saddened by this he meant very much to my family. We expect that this is the best for Todd and he will watch over us. We love him very much."
Kinkaid was severely burned in Stanley, N.D., when a tank exploded early Tuesday morning on the Frontier Drilling rig he was working on. There were no other injuries in the accident.
