Man Survives Camper Explosion in Shell Knob
September 23, 2020
Bill Branham & wife,
Wilma
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Sheila Harris
Bill Branham, of Aurora, will have a new story to share with his grandchildren after escaping virtually unharmed from an explosion which destroyed his camper and pickup Sunday morning.
Branham, 82, had spent the previous week at his deer-hunting campsite near the Piney Creek Wilderness in eastern Barry County, where he enjoyed time by himself filming deer and other wildlife.
“I’d been camping down there since Monday,” Branham said. “Every night, I used the generator to fix my coffee before I went to bed. Then, every morning I got up and heated the coffee in a metal pot on my propane stove. Sunday morning, though, when I ignited the lighter, the camper exploded.”
Branham, who clearly remembers events as they unfolded, said he was thrown through the air, with the camper wall and the refrigerator going before him. When he was able to get his bearings, his first thought was to call for help.
“I sat up and looked for my telephone,” Branham said, “and found it lying within arm’s reach of me. In the camper, it had been lying on a little shelf beside where I’d been standing.
“I called my wife,” he said. “since she knew where I was camping.”
Branham’s wife, Wilma, in turn called their son, Richard Simpson, who immediately set out for the campsite. Wilma Branham followed in her own vehicle.
“I wanted Richard to get there first,” she said, “because I wasn’t sure what we’d come up on. When Bill called me, his voice didn’t sound right. He told me his camper exploded, that he needed help, and that he was bleeding all over.”
Richard Simpson didn’t know what to expect when he arrived at the campsite either.
“I could see debris from the explosion before I ever got to the campsite,” he said, “and I had a devastating feeling of bewilderment. Based on the amount of debris I was seeing, I was prepared for the worst.
“When I got to the site and found Dad up and walking, I couldn’t believe it,” he continued. “He was in a bit of shock: shaking uncontrollably, bleeding in several places and had debris all over his face and in his eyes. I sat him down and wrapped a blanket around him to try to stop his shaking, then cleaned up his face and eyes.”
When Wilma Branham arrived at the scene, Simpson left her to watch over her husband while he called emergency dispatchers and directed them to the remote campsite, located south of Highway 76, between Highways 39 and EE.
Central Crossings Fire Department in Shell Knob was the first to arrive on the scene. According to fire chief, Rusty Rickard, the explosion occurred as the result of an undetected propane leak.
Branham was airlifted to the Springfield hospital by Mercy Lifeline where he was given a thorough examination, including a “head-to-toe scan,” according to Wilma Branham.
“They found no broken bones, and his burns turned out to be only 1st degree,” she said. “They kept him all day, but since his vital signs were good, they told us he could go home that same night.”
“I walked out of the hospital on my own,” Branham said, Monday. “I’m feeling good today. I just finished a big breakfast and am sitting here drinking coffee now.”
Branham credits God for his amazing escape from serious injury. Richard Simpson calls him a living testament to God’s protection.
Branham’s thankful, too, that he didn’t have company at the camp with him.
“My great-grandson had planned to drive down the night before, then changed his mind at the last minute,” he said.
According to Richard Simpson, the blast had thrown Branham a distance of 30 feet from where the explosion had occurred. Debris from the explosion could be found in a 100-foot radius, with parts of it dangling from nearby trees.
According to Branham, the explosion destroyed both the camper and the pickup, but left two four-wheelers tied behind the camper in drivable condition.
Branham’s granddaughter, Tia Burcham, calls her grandfather’s story miraculous.
“We’re glad to still have him with us,” she said.
Bill Branham, of Aurora, will have a new story to share with his grandchildren after escaping virtually unharmed from an explosion which destroyed his camper and pickup Sunday morning.
Branham, 82, had spent the previous week at his deer-hunting campsite near the Piney Creek Wilderness in eastern Barry County, where he enjoyed time by himself filming deer and other wildlife.
“I’d been camping down there since Monday,” Branham said. “Every night, I used the generator to fix my coffee before I went to bed. Then, every morning I got up and heated the coffee in a metal pot on my propane stove. Sunday morning, though, when I ignited the lighter, the camper exploded.”
Branham, who clearly remembers events as they unfolded, said he was thrown through the air, with the camper wall and the refrigerator going before him. When he was able to get his bearings, his first thought was to call for help.
“I sat up and looked for my telephone,” Branham said, “and found it lying within arm’s reach of me. In the camper, it had been lying on a little shelf beside where I’d been standing.
“I called my wife,” he said. “since she knew where I was camping.”
Branham’s wife, Wilma, in turn called their son, Richard Simpson, who immediately set out for the campsite. Wilma Branham followed in her own vehicle.
“I wanted Richard to get there first,” she said, “because I wasn’t sure what we’d come up on. When Bill called me, his voice didn’t sound right. He told me his camper exploded, that he needed help, and that he was bleeding all over.”
Richard Simpson didn’t know what to expect when he arrived at the campsite either.
“I could see debris from the explosion before I ever got to the campsite,” he said, “and I had a devastating feeling of bewilderment. Based on the amount of debris I was seeing, I was prepared for the worst.
“When I got to the site and found Dad up and walking, I couldn’t believe it,” he continued. “He was in a bit of shock: shaking uncontrollably, bleeding in several places and had debris all over his face and in his eyes. I sat him down and wrapped a blanket around him to try to stop his shaking, then cleaned up his face and eyes.”
When Wilma Branham arrived at the scene, Simpson left her to watch over her husband while he called emergency dispatchers and directed them to the remote campsite, located south of Highway 76, between Highways 39 and EE.
Central Crossings Fire Department in Shell Knob was the first to arrive on the scene. According to fire chief, Rusty Rickard, the explosion occurred as the result of an undetected propane leak.
Branham was airlifted to the Springfield hospital by Mercy Lifeline where he was given a thorough examination, including a “head-to-toe scan,” according to Wilma Branham.
“They found no broken bones, and his burns turned out to be only 1st degree,” she said. “They kept him all day, but since his vital signs were good, they told us he could go home that same night.”
“I walked out of the hospital on my own,” Branham said, Monday. “I’m feeling good today. I just finished a big breakfast and am sitting here drinking coffee now.”
Branham credits God for his amazing escape from serious injury. Richard Simpson calls him a living testament to God’s protection.
Branham’s thankful, too, that he didn’t have company at the camp with him.
“My great-grandson had planned to drive down the night before, then changed his mind at the last minute,” he said.
According to Richard Simpson, the blast had thrown Branham a distance of 30 feet from where the explosion had occurred. Debris from the explosion could be found in a 100-foot radius, with parts of it dangling from nearby trees.
According to Branham, the explosion destroyed both the camper and the pickup, but left two four-wheelers tied behind the camper in drivable condition.
Branham’s granddaughter, Tia Burcham, calls her grandfather’s story miraculous.
“We’re glad to still have him with us,” she said.