Trailer fire victim passes
After losing his trailer and vehicle to a fire, Sandpoint resident Tim Knight was transported to Seattle where he passed away last week.
SANDPOINT — Tim Knight, who was critically injured in a November trailer fire, succumbed to his injuries Dec. 5 despite efforts to encourage his recovery.
After returning home Nov. 19 to his camper, where Knight lived, he lit a cigarette unaware his propane tank had a crack, his niece Rachael Patterson said. This caused the camper and his vehicle to be engulfed in flames, causing them to be destroyed in a matter of minutes.
According to social media posts, area residents said they heard and felt a loud boom when the explosion happened.
Soon after a helicopter was dispatched, but due to weather conditions was unable to fly. Instead, crews flew Knight to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by plane.
At Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Knight was placed in a medically induced coma in an attempt to give him time to heal while doctors worked to address burns covering 50% of his body.
After a battle with pneumonia and struggles breathing caused by lung failure from inhalation of the gasses, Knight passed away while still in a coma last Tuesday.
“Loss of circulation to his legs would have [caused them to be] amputated if he survived,” Patterson said. “We are deeply saddened by his unexpected passing. I had hoped he would recover like most burn victims.”
Following the incident, Patterson created a GoFundMe page to support her uncle’s recovery and help him find a new place to live. The page raised around $785 which was used to cover Knight’s cremation cost of $990.
“Thank you to everyone who donated, shared and most importantly prayed,” Patterson said on the GoFundMe page after her uncle’s death.