NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee woman says she watched her husband’s face catch fire after oxygen exploded at a Nashville hospital on Thanksgiving Day. He died a short time later, and now hospitals worldwide are paying closer attention to this rare, but potentially deadly issue.

On Thursday, at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, a 35-year marriage changed in an instant.

“I was sitting in the chair, and it blew up,” said Kathy Stark. “And you could smell the smoke, it was terrible.”

Kathy’s husband, Bobby Ray Stark, was in a hospital room before foot surgery. She says he was hooked up to an oxygen tank when his blood pressure dropped dramatically. She remembers one of the 10 nurses in the room called a crash cart. That’s when a fire sparked and his oxygen tank, a life-saving device, became life-taking.

Kathy Stark says she looked inside Bobby Stark’s mouth and saw it was also burnt. She now believes it scorched his throat and lungs.

We brought this case to an injury lawyer, Brandon Bass. He says fires happen in operating rooms around the world over 600 times a year and can be deadly.

Kathy Stark said Bobby Stark was sent to Tristar Skyline’s burn unit where he died. As her husband’s sole caretaker for seven years, she didn’t expect to lose him in seconds.

The Starks said they are working to hire an attorney and take the case to court.

They have also started a GoFundMe for their family who depended on Bobby Stark’s social security.

FULL STORY HERE