Arizona grandfather to lose leg after falling in 120-degree heat: ‘He’s hurting really bad’
Grant Siler, 72, rests in a burn ICU alongside photos showing the severe burns he suffered on his leg and foot after falling in 120-degree Arizona heat on Aug. 3.
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. - A 72-year-old Mohave County man is facing an impending leg amputation and a grueling recovery after tripping and falling in 120-degree heat, leaving him helpless on the scorching desert ground for more than an hour.
What we know:
Grant Siler suffered severe second- and third-degree burns across his body, multiple organ shock and a core body temperature exceeding 105 degrees following the Aug. 3 collapse. Rushed to a burn intensive care unit in Las Vegas, the tough-as-nails grandfather now faces an Aug. 31 surgery to amputate his right leg above the knee, leaving his family bracing for a long recovery and mounting medical bills.
What they're saying:
For his daughter, Heather Crook, watching her fiercely independent father endure such intense agony has been heartbreaking.
"He's hurting really bad," Crook told FOX 10. "He's the ‘get up and walk it off’ type. He's an Idaho born-and-raised farm boy."
Grant Siler, 72, recovers in a Las Vegas burn ICU after falling in 120-degree heat in Bullhead City, Arizona. (Courtesy Siler family)
Crook recalled an incident just nine months ago when her father rebuilt a block wall in her backyard. Even after dropping an 80-pound cinderblock on his foot, she said he didn't even take a Tylenol.
"So for him to holler out in pain... it's really hard to hear," Crook said. "That's not the kind of person that he is. He doesn't ever want anyone to fuss over him."
The near-fatal incident
Crook, a nurse who lives next door to her parents, said her family moved to Bullhead City in 1988 and are "no strangers to the heat." But on the day of the accident, Siler went for a walk outside their neighborhood, venturing nearly a mile into the desert wilderness as ambient temperatures soared to 120 degrees.
When she first heard he was hurt, Crook admits her initial reaction was frustration before the severity set in.
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"I'm thinking, why is he walking outside? It's so hot," Crook said. "I'm mad that he tripped and fell and could get hurt... not realizing the extent of everything."
Siler was eventually discovered by a passing woman who poured water on him, helped him regain consciousness and tracked down his home address through local neighbors while calling 911 for help. When first responders arrived, Siler was shaking uncontrollably with a core body temperature above 105 degrees — a threshold where older adults face higher risks of seizures and permanent brain damage.
Dig deeper:
Surgeons in Las Vegas recently determined the tissue in Siler's right leg was too severely damaged from the hot ground to ever heal, making an above-knee amputation necessary for pain management.
The tragedy has also created severe financial stress. Siler’s wife, Vicki, continues to work while making a three-hour round-trip commute to the Nevada hospital daily. While a community fundraiser is close to reaching its initial $6,000 goal, the family anticipates substantial expenses ahead for wheelchair home renovations, prosthetics, and specialized home medical equipment.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Grant Siler's daughter, Heather Crook, and Stephanie Anderson, a friend of the family.