Tim Maile - Testimonial 

Tim Maile
Badly burned on arms and hands in propane barbecue explosion
Modified scene call by Ornge from Parry Sound Hospital to Sunnybrook , summer 2005

“I think it’s a great institution of course. If they could help me that much…I can imagine there are lots of other people in the same situation. I’m not the only one to go through an accident in the summer. You need a service to be able to get you to a hospital that can deal with that problem.”

Tim Maile was having a normal day at the cottage in Muskoka. The then-21 year-old third-year university student went into the barbecue room at his cottage to make hamburgers for him and his friend. In a still-unexplained incident, the family’s brand new propane barbecue exploded. Tim was badly burned in the flash fire from the explosion, which shattered every window in the huge cottage, blew a wall out of the room he was in, and brought boaters to shore who had heard the blast from on the lake.

After briefly losing consciousness, Tim realized his arms were on fire. He couldn’t drop and roll to put out the flames because the floor was covered with shards of glass. Instead he put the fire out with his hands. He was trapped in the room, and in trying to get out, he said the skin from his hands and elbows slid off like cheese from a hot pizza.

“My friend came running in, and I’ll never forget the look on his face,” Tim says. He had third-degree burns on his hands and arms, first degree burns on his face, no hair, and his body was smoking. Tim says he covered his face and held his breath when he saw the fire come towards him, and believes he would be dead if he hadn’t done so.

He called 911 himself as his friend panicked. It took local EMS from Parry Sound 45 minutes to reach the cottage, which is at the north end of Lake Joseph, off Stanley House Rd. On arrival at Parry Sound hospital, the doctors and nurses immediately called Ornge. Ornge arrived very quickly and took Tim to Sunnybrook. He believes Ornge’s fast response was instrumental in the quick treatment of his burns, and his recovery.

“The paramedics from Ornge were really good. They were really reassuring. The Ornge guys could administer medications, they injected me with God knows what drug that calmed me down, that made me feel easier and not feel the pain as much.. The whole helicopter ride lasted two minutes in my head.”

Tim’s recovery took two years, and involved skin grafts, physiotherapy, and wearing special burn gloves and sleeves. He says he has plateau-ed now, and will have to learn to live with limitations including loss of dexterity (he was once a talented drummer), and ongoing skin problems which require him to put on large amounts of lotion every day. He also says, while he looks fine, his face does not look the same as it once did. However he’s very positive and optimistic about his future, and is currently studying for his real estate license.