County worker burned when diesel ignites
By Barry H. Hendrix Managing Editor

Grady Wilkerson, an employee with the Clarke County Road and Bridge Department, was severely burned April 16 in a freak accident while putting diesel into a bush cutter machine.

"The fumes coming out the fuel tank ignited from something, possibly static electricity," said County Engineer Sam Noble. "It kind of blew back on him, setting his shirt on fire. He immediately dropped the hose and hit the ground and rolled over to put the flame out."

Wilkerson received burns to his right arm, chest area and the side of his face and neck.

He was rushed to Grove Hill Memorial Hospital and then transferred to the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile. He remains there as a patient.

"When I saw him here, in Grove Hill, in the Emergency Room, he was in quite a bit of pain," Noble said. The most recent report from Mobile was that "he is in pretty good spirits and he's obviously going through a good bit of pain every time they have to redress the wounds…. They are real concerned about infection."

The Road and Bridge Department is still investigating exactly what happened to Wilkerson, Noble said. "We immediately advised everyone else to hold off on refueling for the time being until we could find out what we could. We sampled the fuel in his machine and in the tank they were pumping out of."

Diesel fuel is not as flammable as gasoline but will ignite and burn.

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