An Unexpected Burn

By Greg George, Blue Mountain Lake, NY

Like a lot of people who have worked outdoors most of their lives, I ended up with cold injuries to my hands and feet. This meant several attempts at methods to keep my feet warm in the winter months of the Adirondacks of northern New York. One method that had promise was the advent of heated insoles. These are lithium-ion battery powered removable insoles that provide heat to the toes after being inserted and worn in your boots. I found these to be the answer to cold toes and feet. I had purchased several pairs and wore them for two years without problems. That all changed on April 5, 2024.

I had put recharged insoles into my boots, and was walking to the chicken coop to do the daily chores when I felt a severe shock in my right boot that knocked me to the ground. Smoke rolled out of my boot as I frantically tried to remove the boot. The laces jammed. I had to get my knife out as I ailed in the snow to cut the laces and remove the boot. Too late. The boot continued to smoke, the sock had melted, and I had what was later diagnosed as second and third degree burns on my right foot.

The pain was intense, but that was to be just the start of the resulting injuries that are still going on today in December 2024, eight months later. Eight months of two weeks in the hospital, ten hours from home, two skin graft operations, crutches, walkers, daily
bandaging, damaged tendons, a persistent wound that wouldn’t close–in short, on the disabled list. Simple chores around the home had to be taken over by my wife. The usual fun of summer was replaced by hobbling around.

The point of this story is to avoid this happening to you. Merchants are selling goods that have hidden dangers in them. I was the fourth burn patient in the hospital with the same injury caused by the heated insoles last winter. There were no warnings, no recalls that these batteries could malfunction and catch on fire with 900 degree heat on your skin. The sellers are still selling them today! I’m finding another way to keep my feet warm; I hope you will…

Photos provided by the author.