A routine dinner prep in Somerset turned into a medical emergency when a Crock-Pot tipped and spilled scalding hot food onto a 22-month-old boy, leaving him with severe third-degree burns. Relatives say the child, identified as Daelyn Davis, was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where doctors expect he will need skin grafts, multiple surgeries and a long recovery. His family has launched an online fundraiser to help cover the mounting costs.
The accident happened on the night of Friday, July 17, while Daelyn's mother was preparing a roast. Relatives told LEX18 that the toddler grabbed the Crock-Pot's power cord, causing the slow cooker to tip and its hot contents to pour over him. According to the station, Daelyn suffered third-degree burns to roughly 20% of the right side of his body and part of his head before being flown to Vanderbilt for specialized burn care.
“Oh my God, I was devastated,” his aunt Abigail Davis told LEX18. Family members said the slow cooker was plugged into an extension cord and that the household has been overwhelmed by messages, donations and prayers from the community in the days since.
Hospital care and the fundraising push
At Vanderbilt, doctors are working to stabilize Daelyn while planning the skin graft surgeries he will need, according to WAVE3. His care team is still determining how many grafts will be necessary.
The Davis family's GoFundMe describes a long hospitalization ahead and says he will face multiple surgeries as he heals. The fundraiser notes that donations are helping with medical expenses as well as travel and lodging costs while relatives stay near the Nashville hospital. Family members have publicly thanked neighbors, friends and strangers for stepping up with financial help and words of support.
Why scalds are so dangerous for toddlers
Scald injuries from hot liquids are the leading cause of serious burns in very young children, according to a recent clinical review published on PubMed Central. Pediatric burn specialists and safety advocates say these burns often hit the head, chest and hands and can require complex reconstructive surgery followed by lengthy rehabilitation.
Shriners Children's urges families to treat the kitchen as a high-risk zone, especially for toddlers, recommending a three-foot kid-free buffer around cooking areas and extra caution with hot food, liquids and appliances.
Practical steps to reduce risk at home
Fire-prevention guidance generally starts with keeping hot appliances and liquids well away from counter and table edges, and making sure cords are out of reach of little hands. Safety materials also encourage using back burners when possible and turning pot handles inward.
Local fire departments advise plugging slow cookers and other heat-producing appliances directly into wall outlets rather than into temporary extension cords, and maintaining a clear three-foot zone where children are not allowed near cooking or hot equipment, according to recommendations from the Bay District VFD and Jacksonville Fire Prevention.
The Davis family says their fundraiser lays out the details of Daelyn's treatment plan and their immediate needs for travel and lodging while he remains hospitalized. Relatives say they are grateful for the outpouring of support so far and are asking for continued prayers as he begins what doctors and family describe as a long road to recovery. For more on the incident and the donation drive, see coverage from WAVE3 and the family's GoFundMe page.
