A mechanic was severely burned Monday morning when the vehicle he was working on caught fire.
The victim, Johnny Ledbetter Jr., 23, was airlifted by AirEvac helicopter from the parking lot of nearby Mt. Leo Church of Christ. He was flown to Erlanger Medical Center where he remains under care at the facility’s burn unit. It has not been revealed the extent of his burns.
The accident happened around 11 a.m. in an auto repair shop located at Johnny’s Used Tires on Beersheba Street. Sources say there was a flash fire around the vehicle Ledbetter was working on causing the burns. The fire was quickly subdued without need of the fire department which is stationed a quarter-mile from the scene. Firemen instead were dispatched to help safely land the helicopter in the Mt. Leo parking lot.
What exactly caused the flash fire has not been revealed by investigators.