What should have been a vacation in paradise wasn’t and the situation continues to be a challenging, painful experience for the Carlton family of Calvin.

Jordan Carlton travels for work and when possible takes his mother, Becky, along with him. The opportunity to visit Hawaii came up and the mother/son duo were excited to make the trip. They were on a Honolulu freeway, on the island of Oahu, where tragedy struck. Jordan was driving their rental car and when he tapped the brakes while traveling down the freeway, fl ames erupted inside the vehicle totally engulfing the car.

Trying to slow the car with the emergency brake, he told his mother to jump. Becky bailed out of the car while it was still traveling about 45 miles an hour.

Jordan, with his body on fire, reportedly took the car all the way to a stop, not wanting to put other lives in danger. Once stopped, a good Samaritan used a fi re extinguisher to put out the fl ames on Jordan and the car. Both Carltons were rushed to an area hospital, Becky with severe road rash, burns on her arms and a brain bleed, and Jordan with burns over 85% of his body.

At home, word was received and Robert Carlton quickly made arrangements to join his wife and son.

Their pastor, Kurtis Stoll of the Calvin First Baptist Church, has been doing his best to keep his parishioners and area residents updated on the family. The most recent posting information said that Becky was expected to be dismissed from the hospital but still will need care for her right arm and ear. They will be seeing a specialist because she has hearing loss in that ear.

The fever Jordan has been dealing with has come down but he has had to start dialysis to help his kidney function. A skin graft doctor is fl ying to Honolulu to work with area doctors and develop a plan. He continues to be fighting a mild infection.

The family asks for prayers and that any donations, even letters, go through the First Baptist Church of Calvin at P.O. Box 37, Calvin, OK 74531.