Auction set to help welder severely burned in DeKalb tractor-trailer explosion
After a welder suffered burns to more than 75 percent of his body during an explosion last month, his friends have planned an auction to help raise money for him and his family.
However, he doesn’t know about their generosity and support because he remains in a medically induced coma at Grady Memorial Hospital, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Charlie Shearer, 55, was working inside a tractor-trailer at a DeKalb County repair shop in the 4300 block of Old McDonough Road when it exploded into flames, Channel 2 reported.
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While he remains at the hospital, his medical bills are piling up, prompting his friends to try to help him in a way near and dear to him: an auction. Shearer was a regular at Lakeside Auction in Covington, according to owner Samatha Patrick.
“He’s been coming here for 10 years,” she told the news station. “He’s here every weekend. Everyone knows that’s Charlie’s chair.”
Patrick said after seeing what Shearer went through, she wanted to help out. On April 28, she plans on hosting an auction at the auction house’s location at 15845 Ga. 36, featuring live music and barbecue.
She told Channel 2 that Shearer has three children and two grandchildren, one of whom is 5 months old.
“The people here at the auction, we don’t just call them customers; we call them family,” Patrick said. “Unfortunately, bills keep coming in whether you’re laying in a bed in a hospital or you’re working. We want to make sure he has a home to come (back) to.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation. AJC.com has reached out to DeKalb County Fire Rescue to see if there are updates.
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About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
