Prayers for Capt. Jim

I got word through Facebook this morning that an old fishing friend, Capt. Jim Brincefield was critically injured in what appears to have been a bizarre accident at his home in North Carolina:

Well-known NC fishing charter captain hurt in explosion

A well-known fishing charter captain was seriously burned in an explosion on Friday in his backyard, officials say Captain Jim Brincefield, of Camden, was airlifted to Norfolk Sentara Hospital on Friday after he was seriously burned during an explosion in a burn barrel, said Camden County Sheriff Tony Perry.

Rumor has it that it was likely an aerosol can in the trash that exploded.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office say they were notified at 2:36 p.m. for an emergency in the 200 block of Pinch Gut Road in Camden.

When they arrived, they found Captain Jim Brincefield was inside his home showering to cool the burns after the explosion.

That would be the Capt. Jimmie I know.

He was airlifted by Nightingale to Norfolk Sentara General after suffering burns over 75 percent of his body.  Brincefield operates a charter boat named “Jil Carrie” in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

Those are certainly life threatening injuries. Word on Facebook is that he is intubated and on a respirator.

“A seaworthy boat Captain (Brincefield) is a well-known community leader for helping others and was instrumental in the cooperation the Sheriff’s Office Thanksgiving Mission this past year at Camden Methodist Church,” Sheriff Perry said.

 I spent a fair amount of good times on the Jil Carrie, and one of the scariest days I have ever had on the Bay.

“Capt. Jim, as he is known, loved nothing better than to be out assisting his fellow man and neighbor and carries this deep desire in his heart to help others,” said Sheriff Perry.

Perry also requests prayers for Brincefield and his family at this time.

Capt. Jim, wife Jil and children at a charity benefit in 2001

Jim is one of the most generous men I have ever met. He is always ready to lend his hand to a friend, and his business to a charity. He ran his charter boat Jil Carrie out of Deale for many years, and only recently departed the Bay for North Carolina, saying the fishing had seriously deteriorated in recent years. He has a great, if distinctly off color, humor (did I tell you the one about the difference between a refrigerator and Barney Frank?).

My heart goes out to Jim and his family

UPDATE: Word comes via Facebook that Capt. Jim has succumbed to his burns.