CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As KRIS 6 News previously reported, Bryce Ballard went to start his car to start it up like any other day, the next thing he knew, he was engulfed in flames.
“I was actually getting into my car to get my wife and I lunch, and I realized that I smelled something burning," Ballard said.
In what Ballard called a freak accident, he said the tank of his car exploded.
“I spoke to one of the fire investigators," he said. "He [fire investigator] said everything sounds about right. Looks like the fuel tank did expand and explode.”
Ballard was still covered in flames after getting out of the car.
“Both of my arms were on fire. I saw fire all over my legs. My shorts were on fire,” Ballard recalled.
After quickly stopping, dropping, and rolling, the fire on his body was put out, but it soon spread to the townhome itself.
Without a second thought, he quickly ran upstairs to get his wife out.
“They couldn’t really wrap their mind around the fact that I had so much that I was able to come from such a deep fire and go upstairs and get my wife out of the house,” Ballard said.
Ballard suffered second-degree burns in several parts of his body.
“They did skin grafts on my legs, they did skin grafts on my face and on this arm,” Ballard explained.
After undergoing surgery, Ballard fell into a coma.
“My wife said my hands were cold, and I was swollen, and I was just laying there not really responsive. And there for a moment, my mom and wife thought maybe I was dead,” he said.
Ballard still has a long road to recovery.
“I can’t sleep at night. My legs itch terribly. God, they itch terribly,” he added.
The father of two told KRIS 6 News that he and his family have been staying in hotels while they search for a more permanent home.
“The five-year-old is having the toughest time. She’s aware. She knows what’s going on. My kids have been through a lot lately,” Ballard said.
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