Arizona Burn Center warns about dangers of contact burns

PHOENIX (AZFamily)—The Arizona Burn Center in central Phoenix is warning about how a simple fall on the pavement can lead to serious and even deadly burns.

Just last month, it had 50 patients with contact burns from falls. Some were so severe that four patients went into shock and died.

"I was just exhausted. I tried everything I could to get up and I just about surrendered," said Robert Wooley.

Last summer, Wooley was hanging out by his pool when he took a tumble.

"I got distracted walking back to my back door and I caught my toe, started going over. Got farther than I could recover from. Touch the ground, hoping to catch myself and I was startled by how hot and painful the rocks were," he said.

For nearly 10 minutes, he laid on those hot rocks, struggling to get up.

"I started wiggling across the hot rocks like a sidewinder rattlesnake and that's when I burned my leg from my calf to my hip really badly," said Wooley.

His wife found him and rushed him to Valleywise Arizona Burn Center.

Doctors treated him for third-degree contact burns on his arms, legs, shoulders and hands.

"The ordeal was extraordinarily painful. Changing the bandages every day felt like being skinned alive," said Wooley.

The Burn Center says our triple-digit temperatures can heat sidewalks and asphalt to nearly 180 degrees, causing serious contact burns in seconds.

Seniors who are more prone to falls and have more sensitive skin have the highest risk.

"We want people to be very careful. Don't go outside during the hot late morning, early afternoon hours if you can avoid it. If you do make sure you protect yourself make sure someone knows where you're going. Take someone with you," Wooley said.

Wooley spent five weeks in the hospital and said it's taken nearly a year for his wounds to heal fully.

"Just be careful out there," said Wooley.