(WCCO)

In May, a car rear-ended 18-year-old Jeffrey Hinkemeyer outside his home in St. Joseph Township near St. Cloud and suffered burns over 90 percent of his body.


It's a long road ahead for a teenager who narrowly survived a fiery crash. One month ago, a car rear-ended 18-year-old Jeffrey Hinkemeyer outside his home in St. Joseph Township near St. Cloud.

In May, a car rear-ended 18-year-old Jeffrey Hinkemeyer outside his home in St. Joseph Township near St. Cloud and suffered burns over 90 percent of his body.

It's a long road ahead for a teenager who narrowly survived a fiery crash. One month ago, a car rear-ended 18-year-old Jeffrey Hinkemeyer outside his home in St. Joseph Township near St. Cloud.

His roommates soon found him upside-down and on fire in his Pinto.

For the first time since that accident Jeffery's parents are speaking out.

"He had his whole future in front of him -- that's on hold," said Jeffrey's father, Paul Hinkemeyer.

A year after Jeffrey graduated from high school with honors, he lies in a hospital bed critically burned and fighting for his life.

"One split second your life is turned completely upside down," said his dad.

A month ago Jeffrey headed home in his prized 1979 Pinto.

"He was supposed to meet up with his roommates and as he was going down the road they were coming up the road. So they turned around and so they got to see the whole thing happen right in front of them," said Paul.

They watched in horror as Jeffery's car was rear ended, rolled into the ditch and burst into flames.

"They were the ones to help put him out," said Jeffrey's mother, Patty Hinkemeyer.

Then the Hinkemeyers got a phone call.

"Jeffrey came on the phone," said Paul. "He said, 'Dad, I'm burned, it hurts, come get me.'"

Jeffrey was airlifted to the Hennepin County Medical Center Burn Unit.

"This is always a race car driver's nightmare is to be on fire," said Paul.

Jeffrey bought his Pinto because it was his dad's first race car.

"Jeffrey knew about the problem," said Patty.

Online he learned a design problem with Pintos in the early '70s caused it to catch fire when rear ended that fatal flaw was corrected before the model Jeffrey had was made.

Now his parents pray as their son, with burns over 90 percent of his body, struggles to recover.

"At this point he's getting better and his prognosis is reasonable for survival," said Hennepin County Medical Center Chief Plastic Surgeon George Peltier.

"It's all the love and support he's got from his friends," said Patty. "He's hanging in there. He is a fighter."

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