Wednesday, March 9, 1994
BLAST VICTIM, WIFE DONATE $240,000 TO BURN UNIT RECOVERY PAVILLION AT KU MEDICAL CENTER WILL BEAR THEIR NAMES.
David and Ruth Hurlbut, a Paola, Kan., couple who were awarded $12.4 million in 1992 after David Hurlbut was burned in a hot-asphalt explosion, have given $240,000 to establish a recovery pavilion in their names at the burn unit of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
The Overland Park law firm of Shamberg, Johnson, Bergman & Morris, which represented the couple, added $45,000 in honor of the Hurlbuts. The burn unit will be enlarged by 2,600 square feet to provide a lounge and dining areas, therapy rooms and a children's play area. It will be called the David and Ruth Hurlbut Recovery Pavilion.
Charles E. Andrews, medical center executive vice chancellor, said the center was "indebted to David and Ruth."
"The courage of David Hurlbut is well-known among the caregivers at the Burnett Burn Center," Andrews said in a news release. "Our respect for his courage is now matched by our admiration for his generosity."
David Hurlbut was a patient at the Gene and Barbara Burnett Burn Center in Kansas City, Kan., for more than two months after suffering life-threatening injuries in an on-the-job explosion in 1988 at J&J Metals in Paola. The explosion killed John Windisch and Charles Hoffman.
Hurlbut was injured when a dip vat, used for coating metal pipes, blew up six feet in front of his face, showering him with molten asphalt. The fire from the explosion seared off his ears, nose and most of his fingers, melted his wedding ring and vaporized his hard hat.
A jury found that a Conoco oil product had "auto ignited" and was not suited for the asphalt cooker.
David Hurlbut was unconscious for six weeks after the blast and underwent 27 surgeries on his torso, face, head, hands and legs to help remove dead skin, graft new skin and repair disfigured body parts.
"Ruth and I always knew that if there was any way to repay those at the Burn Center for what they did for us, we would do it," David Hurlbut said in a prepared statement. "I feel great about what they've done for me. They saved my life."
The Hurlbuts' gift pushed the university's endowment association over its $500,000 fund-raising goal and will allow construction to begin on the new project.
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Section: METROPOLITAN
Page: C3
By JAMES A. FUSSELL, Staff Writer
All content © 1994 THE KANSAS CITY STAR and may not be republished without permission.
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