My girlfriend begged me not to go to work—then came the explosion

As my alarm went off on the morning of August 25, 2025, my then-girlfriend Emma begged me not to go into work that day. We had been dating for a couple of months, and we just wanted to spend as much time together as possible. I had always been the type of person who stayed in, but Emma brought out this social and adventurous side of me.

That morning, Emma pleaded with me to stay in bed a little longer and to remain within our blissful bubble. I was more than happy to oblige, but, of course, the day had to begin at some point. Eventually, I got ready, left the house and was on my way to the drilling rig where I worked as a deckhand.

Once I reached the site, the team and I began our usual morning routine. We had a cement plug planned for that day, something we had all done many times before. Nothing about it felt different, and yet, that day would change our lives forever.

As the morning went by, we continued preparing our site for the company we always used to mix and pump our cement. Once the cement arrived, we began setting up our equipment and attaching theirs. We started mixing and pumping, and, before long, we received circulation, meaning that fluids down the wellbore were coming to the surface.

We soon noticed a kick that became violent, and it very quickly started pushing hundreds of pounds of pressure back up towards us. Leading up to the accident, we had noticed that the well was more active than others, but we thought we were prepared for the situation. In that moment, one of the on-site vehicles began to run the engine at a much higher operating speed than it was designed for, causing the engine to explode.

That explosion caused a devastating chain reaction.

‘I Survived, But at What Cost?

Everything on site was instantly engulfed in flames.

I was on the deck of our rig, standing directly over the well head, with just seconds to react. As a result, I was ejected from the rig and thrown 15 feet before landing on rocks and being knocked unconscious.

I woke up quickly, but I was already shirtless. I had not removed it myself; rather, the shirt was burned off my skin by the fire. I still had my pants on, but they were engulfed in flames. As soon as I could, I got up and began to run in the opposite direction of the blaze. I did everything we have always been told to do, like stop, drop and roll, but even that didn’t work.

I had to make a decision between staying near the burning wreckage or jumping off the nearby embankment and getting the rest of my clothes off me.

In that moment, I chose to jump.

I quickly stripped my remaining clothes off, leaving just my underwear and one of my socks, and made to safety. As I sat there waiting to see if there were any other survivors, I remember looking down and seeing my skin literally falling off me.

I had survived the oil explosion, but at what cost?

Other survivors gradually made their way over to the embankment, and we all went to the nearby crick to cool our bodies down. While we were undoubtedly thankful to still have our lives, there was an eerie silence because we were not all accounted for. We were still missing one of our crew members, who, it turned out, was lying unconscious near the burning wreckage.

My burns were among the most significant, but some of the guys who were not injured quite so badly went back up and brought our colleague to safety.

After what felt like the longest time, we were all loaded onto our truck and were carried down the lease road to safety. That is where we had to wait for medical staff to assess our injuries.

‘The Explosion Left Me With 70 to 80 Percent Burns’

I was one of the worst affected amongst the group and was quickly checked over.

Due to the extent of my burns, I had to be splashed with saline to keep me as cool and comfortable as the medical team could get me. Of course, that could only help so much, and what I actually needed was extensive medical attention. So, I was rushed to the Mariette Memorial Hospital nearby, but, as soon as we reached the entrance, I lost consciousness.

I think I had fought to hold on for so long, but once I knew I was going to be taken care of, my body gave in.

It was a long time before I eventually woke up again. I had unknowingly been life-flighted to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for specialist care. By that time, doctors had learned the extent of my injuries, and it was much worse than expected.

The oil explosion left me with 70 to 80 percent second- and third-degree burns, and I was extremely scared of what that would mean for my future. I realized just how bad my situation was when I could hardly move any part of my body and needed significant help to do any simple tasks.

Over the last year, I have been through 20 surgeries and spent 134 days in the hospital. Once I was released, I spent a subsequent 10 days in the Ohio State Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital before I could finally go home.

I left for work as usual that day but did not return home for over four months.

I struggled mentally for quite a while after the incident. It took me many months to accept that I truly was not OK, and my wife was the one who finally convinced me to help myself. But it was my new appearance that really took a toll on me. I didn’t even want to look at myself in the mirror because I felt so disgusted by my reflection.

My physical recovery has been a rocky road, and it is far from over. I have spent months rebuilding strength and range of motion, but I still do not have full movement in my neck, left hand or arms.

‘I Feel Humbled by What I Have Gone Through’

As of now, it is thought that I might need another 30 to 40 procedures, which is a daunting prospect. Yet I feel humbled by what I have gone through so far.

I survived.

I still have my life and a reason to keep fighting.

A year on, I feel much stronger and more confident. I choose to learn from the experiences I have had, and now it is my aim to help many other people too.

Currently, I can do almost anything I want. The main difference now is that I cannot clean myself without assistance or stay outside in the heat for long periods of time. Nonetheless, I know I have come a long way.

To anyone else with severe burns or a physical disability that prevents them from achieving what they want, my message is to never give up. Know that you are much stronger than you think, and you are only limited by your mind. If you are open to accepting help, there are people everywhere who are willing to offer it—you just have to ask.

Remington Weckbacher, 22, resides in Ohio with Emma, whom he has since married. He has been documenting his recovery from the orphan well explosion on social media (@rem_the_burnt_guy on Instagram and @remington_04_25 on TikTok). His family has also organized a GoFundMe to help with his ongoing medical care after the traumatic event.

The explosion at the Farnsworth No. 4 orphan well in Independence Township, Washington County, Ohio, injured six crew members, four of whom were airlifted to hospital. The fire was brought under control within an hour by fire crews.

In August 2026, a lawsuit was filed by another injured worker, alleging that the explosion was preventable and contractors failed to follow well-control and safety procedures while plugging the orphan well.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and James Debens