Toddler burned in car fire faces surgeries and skin grafts, says dad asking for help
A fundraiser has been started for the little boy who was rescued from a car fire that Columbia Police said was started by his mother.
Kairon Bramsen was severely burned in Sunday’s fire on the shoulder of S.C. 126 and is being treated at the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia.
Both Kairon and his mother, Caylin Allise Watson, “smelled strongly of accelerant that appeared to have been intentionally used to cause great bodily injury or death,” police said in the incident report.
The 13-month-old suffered second- and third-degree burns over 20 percent of his body, including around his face, hands, legs, and feet, his father Steven Bramsen said in the GoFundMe campaign he started. The toddler has already undergone one surgery and will need more, in addition to skin grafts, according to Bramsen.
Messages left for Bramsen Tuesday were not immediately returned.
He said he started the online fundraiser to help pay for the medical expenses to care for Kairon, who Bramsen said is not covered by health insurance.
Bramsen said the money raised would also fund his daily travel from visiting Kairon in Augusta and back to Columbia where he lives, according to his Facebook page.
A $100,000 goal was originally set for the fundraiser, but Bramsen lowered that figure to $35,000 after getting assistance from Medicaid Tuesday afternoon.
Through 12:30 p.m., more than $5,000 has been raised in the fundraiser from 169 donors.
“I see and appreciate all the support and love my little man has (received) from the community and it means (a lot) to me, him and his entire family, Bramsen said on Facebook. “Thank you, everybody for all your prayers I guarantee they are working magic! Kairon had his first surgery yesterday and everything went well!”
That operation revealed the burns Kairon suffered went deeper than expected, according to Bramsen. There was some good news, as Bramsen said the little boy is not expected to suffer any scarring on his face.
“We are on the road to recovery which will be long but hes a fighter! I have never seen a little boy so tough,” Bramsen said.
In his multiple posts, Bramsen does not mention Kairon’s mother by name. The only reference he makes to the 23-year-old Elgin resident is in the GoFundMe, claiming the toddler’s “mother, on May 17th, set her car on fire with him in his car seat in the back of the car.”
The car was stopped on the shoulder of the highway when Watson is accused of intentionally setting it on fire while her son was sitting inside, police said.
Four bystanders who were also heading west on S.C. 126 saw the car on fire and stopped to assist, according to police. Some of the Good Samaritans got out of their vehicles to help the toddler, while others called 911, police said.
After being treated for injuries at an area hospital, Watson was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. She was charged with attempted murder, first-degree arson, third-degree arson, and abuse/infliction of great bodily injury upon a child, jail records show.
A judge denied Watson bond, and she remained behind bars at the Richland County jail, police said.
Information on a motive was not available, but the incident remains under investigation by police.
“Growing up and being an adult in today’s society you never think anything like this can hit so close to home,” Bramsen said.
As he continues to heal, Bramsen promised more information on Kairon on Facebook, where he updated his profile picture to an image of the father and son nuzzling noses.
“He has touched the lives of so many with his beautiful smile and his Sweet Soul,” Bramsen said in the GoFundMe. “Please keep Kairon in your prayers and thank you for your support.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
